Safe and Sound
by NewHampshireGirl
Summary: Tony has never been afraid of a challenge but can he handle the pressures of being a single father? NOT CANON after "Deliverance", AU, Tiva friendship only, Tony/Gibbs, father/son.
1. Kaitlin

**Warnings: **Contains Spoilers from Season 6 to Season 10. Not canon after "Deliverance".

**Disclaimers: **I do not own NCIS or its characters, they belong to show creators and CBS.

**A/N:** Totally inspired by the scene in _Life Before His Eyes _when Tony held the baby. If you didn't melt you're cold. J/K. . This story is LONG. It will span seasons 6 thru 10. And I know that Tony as a daddy stories are probably way over done, but I just love them and wanted to write my own. I hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>Safe and Sound<strong>

The rise and fall of the baby's tiny chest was strangely comforting for him. Perhaps it was because her entrance into this world had been anything but joyful. It had been full of anxious moments. However, at the current moment she was resting peacefully in her father's arms and he couldn't believe how something so small had rendered such feelings in him—for the first time in his life Anthony DiNozzo was experiencing unconditional love.

Gently using his feet to propel the rocking chair he was seated in, Tony marveled at the little girl in his arms. It was hard to believe he had helped create something so small and perfect. When the baby's mother had sent the email to him seven months ago and told him she was pregnant with _his _baby Tony wasn't sure what he was going to do. He was out in the middle of the ocean still, stationed on the _Seahawk _and there was no end in sight to his assignment. She'd given him time to think about it.

Sighing Tony watched as his daughter rubbed her face with her tiny fist. When Amanda had contacted him again, asking him what he was going to do about the baby, he'd asked what she wanted to do about the baby. He was shocked to learn that the prospect of raising a baby by herself terrified her, if he didn't step up she was going to abort the pregnancy. That had been the ultimatum. He couldn't be responsible for the death of his child. He'd told her he'd take care of her, the baby. He told her that he was going to fight even harder to get reassigned to the States.

In retrospect he should have known that this was never going to end well but he'd been too wrapped up in the sheer joy that he was going to be a dad to notice that there was a problem.

And the problem had not really presented itself until the baby had been born. Amanda's labor had been somewhat unexpected. Hell, they were supposed to have another three weeks. Tony knew he shouldn't have been surprised that his child wouldn't stick to the plan. But just a few hours after they had driven Mike Franks to the airport, the phone had rang and Tony had made some lame excuse to get out of work to rush to the hospital to be by her side.

Of course, the team probably thought he was ducking out early for a hot, Valentine's Day date. Tony was okay with them thinking that for now. And besides, his daughter was the best Valentine's day present anyone could have given him. He'd been calling her his pretty little Valentine for the last two days now. It helped him swallow the anger that he was feeling at her mother.

As soon as Amanda's forty-eight hours were up, she was gone. Tony wasn't sure where. He only had a note saying that she didn't want to be a mother yet and that she wanted to focus on her career. He was left with a newborn daughter to raise by himself. Perhaps this was karma for all his days chasing women and it was true what they say, karma is a bitch.

Tony knew that neither of them were ready to be parents and they certainly were not ready to be parents together, but the last time he checked it took two people to make a baby. What gave her the right to just up abandon that baby? Abandon him to raise her? If she didn't want to live with him and raise the baby with him that was fine, they could have worked out a custody agreement, child support. But to just up and leave, it made him sick to his stomach. It wasn't acceptable. And he may never learn to accept it. He'd always thought himself as a forgivable guy but when it came to the abandonment of his daughter it didn't seem like something to forgive. He briefly wondered if his mother would feel the same way if she had lived to see what his father had done to him.

Little eyes lazily opened to look at him and he smiled at the tiny baby.

"Yes, I'm still here," he told her. "I'm not going to leave you baby. I promise."

Someone stepped into the nursery, another mother and father, with a nurse. They gushed over their new baby boy, a nine-pound wonder, who would make the little girl in his arms look like a doll. Tony continued to rock her while the newcomers were allowed to hold and feed their baby. He listened while the nurse instructed the new mother what to do when it came to feeding her baby from behind the curtain she had put up. He had gotten a similar lesson an hour ago, although maybe it wasn't so similar since he had bottle fed his daughter and not breast fed like the hidden mother now.

"Agent DiNozzo, do you want me to put her back in the bassinet?" a kind voice asked.

Glancing up he noticed another nurse standing in front of him. Her brown eyes pitied him and maybe after everything that had happened he did deserve some kind of pity. He shook his head. "No, I'm…I'm fine."

"Just let me know if you need anything."

"Okay, thank you."

The nurse smiled at him and walked away. Tony watched as she went about the rest of her rounds, before turning back to his baby. Her eyes were settled on his face again, almost like she was trying to place him. He smiled at her and held a finger out to her. "You are named after a very special person. She was my friend. A good friend. Still miss her everyday."

Gently the baby's tiny fingers wrapped around his outstretched one. Tony just soaked in the sight of her sweet face. "We're gonna be okay, you and I. Not sure how I know that. Maybe I just feel it in my gut." He chuckled. "My gut. I haven't even told my co-workers that you exist. Wonder what they're gonna say. Actually, I think I know what they're gonna say. Nothing for your tiny ears to hear."

She made a little mewing noise. Tony continued to smile, pulling her small pink blanket tightly around her little body. "Don't worry, though. They aren't gonna say all those nasty things to you. Oh no, they'll see your pretty face and instantly fall in love. How could they not after all you're a DiNozzo, bet you've got the charm."

Her little gray eyes blinked, not leaving his face. It was almost as if she really was hanging on every word he said. Tony looked into those eyes and felt compelled to continue. "Abby is gonna wanna hold you first. And since she can kill me without leaving evidence, well, I guess I better let her. McGee will probably hold you like you're poison. He's worse with kids than I am. Not worried about Ducky. He is a doctor after all. And Gibbs, who's to say how he's gonna react. Have to admit though, he does have a way with kids. Ziva...she's the one that I cannot figure out. There are times I think she'll make a great mother but then I think about all her training and second guess myself. Does she even want kids at all?"

Tony paused when he saw her eyes start to droop shut. "I'm keeping you up. Sorry. I like to talk a lot." He felt her grip on his finger loosen and soon she was back to sleep. He ran his finger along her cheekbone, briefly glanced at his watch, and sighed. It was close to two in the morning. If he was going to get into headquarters before his boss and partners, he had to report to work by six. If he left now he might be able to get home and catch a couple of hours of sleep, and maybe come up with how he was going to break the news to the director, his team, that he needed personal leave time to care for his newborn daughter.

He'd known for three months that he was going to be a father but every time he worked up the courage to inform the people he considered his family he froze. Mainly because he knew how disappointed they were going to be in him and he hated to disappoint.

A little whimper came from the baby's lips and it caught the nurse's attention. She came over and took the little girl from him and told Tony she was going to put her down for the night. Tony looked nervous and the nurse paused for a moment. "See that band on your wrist, Agent DiNozzo?Remember we've talked about this?"

He looked at the hospital band. "Yeah."

"That has your name and the baby's name on it. Which means, legally you are the only one allowed to take the baby out of the hospital. Kaitlin will be fine, promise."

_Yeah, but am I going to fine? _Tony thought anxiously as he watched the nurse walk away.

He watched as she laid the baby down into her bassinet and made sure that she was properly swaddled. When the baby was settled the nurse moved on. Tony moved across the nursery and went to stand near his daughter's bassinet.

Peering down at his baby girl, now sound asleep, Tony smiled gently. If he was a disappointment to his team it didn't change anything. Kaitlin still needed her father to take care of her. Slowly he pressed his fingers to his lips, then pressed them to the baby's soft cheek. "Buona notte, my pretty little Valentine."


	2. Leave Time

**A/N: **Here is the next chapter. Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I try to respond personally if I can but today has been very busy, just happy that I can get another update out for you. Enjoy!

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><p>Leroy Jethro Gibbs was used to being called into Leon Vance's office but he was surprised to find Tony waiting there as well. His senior field agent was dressed in one of his best suits, hair done, looking put together—but one look into his green eyes, Gibbs knew something was wrong.<p>

"Ah, Gibbs, we were just waiting for you," Vance said with a friendly smile. "Please, come in and have a seat."

"What's going on?" Gibbs asked, refusing to sit down. He glanced at Tony, who adverted his eyes. "DiNozzo in trouble or something?"

Vance looked between the two agents, who had worked together long enough to read each other's facial expressions. "Agent DiNozzo has requested some leave time to tend to a personal matter. He doesn't believe he is going to be out that long so another agent does not need to be assigned to the team. However, he didn't want to leave NCIS today without speaking to you."

If Gibbs didn't know any better Tony had set it up that Vance was here to witness this, just case what? Gibbs got violent with him? "Tony. Look at me. What's going on?"

Tony stood and fixed his suit coat. His eyes focused on his boss for a moment and he set his jaw. "I have a daughter."

"What?" Gibbs questioned. Of all the things that the senior field agent could possibly say, he was not expecting _that. _"A daughter?" he repeated, wanting to make sure he'd heard right.

"Yes. She was born…she was born a couple of days ago," Tony confessed. "I'm taking her home tomorrow. She was jaundiced when she was born, they kept her longer than most babies. I need…I need time off to settle her in at home."

Gibbs rubbed his hands over his face, instantly mollified thanks to his SFA's admission he was a father. Kids always did that too him, little girls especially. "Yeah, yeah, of course, you and the mother take as much time as you need."

Tony's jaw twitched and his eyes flashed with anger for a second. "There is no mother. She's gone. Her career in Naval Intelligence was more important."

"Aw, hell, Tony," Gibbs said, softly, gazing at the young man apologetically. "I'm sorry."

"It isn't your fault boss," Tony affirmed with shrug.

Vance's desk phone buzzed and he pressed the button. "_Director, they need you in MTAC," _the voice of his assistant said over the intercom. He confirmed that he was on his way, but not before he reminded Tony that the young field agent could take as much time as was needed to sort things out with his baby daughter.

Gibbs waited until the Director was gone before speaking. "You sure you're alright with all of this?"

Tony pondered the question for a moment. Was he really alright? No, he didn't think so. Just a few days ago he'd been happy, content, sitting on the sofa with Amanda, one arm around her shoulders, the other resting on her belly so he could rub her stomach, feel the baby move underneath his fingers. But now he was standing in Vance's office, heart broken into so many different pieces that he wasn't sure how he was going to put it back together this time. It may have started out as a fling, but when she told him she was pregnant with his baby and they'd agreed to try to make it work, he'd felt himself falling in love with her. For a while they were a family—eagerly awaiting the arrival of their newest little member. Now, Tony had been left alone to care for that little one.

And this made him feel incredibly cold inside. So, the answer to Gibbs question was, no, he was not alright. But, he had to be, for his daughter. He let out a slow breath and shook his head. "No, boss. I'm not alright. But what…what choice do I have? It's not like I can curl up with a bottle of Scotch like I did after Jenny died, now is it? Or eat insane amounts of junk food after Kate. Or hide behind jokes when McGee or Ziva say something hurt my feelings. It's…it's different this time."

Gibbs felt his heart break for this young man that meant so much to him. Hadn't he been through enough? And now the world was going to thrust the challenges of being a single father on him? "Everything's gonna work out, Tony, you'll see."

"Boss?"

"Yeah, Tony."

"You'll…you'll help me right? Because…I know _nothing _about kids."

He chuckled. "Yeah, DiNozzo. We'll all help you."

Tony sighed in relief. Which made Gibbs raise his eyes to look at the senior field agent. Did he really think his team—his family—was going to leave him alone to raise his daughter? Of course, the young man had so many insecurities that he hid well, Gibbs wasn't surprised. "You haven't told me her name yet, Tony."

"Oh, well, we'd picked several out before…" Tony said with a shrug. "But, um, just the other day we decided…kind of ironic."

"DiNozzo…"

"Sorry boss. Kaitlin Elizabeth. Kaitlin for…for Kate and Elizabeth for my mom."

Gibbs' heart ached just at the mention of Kate's name. It had been four years since her death and it still hurt. "It's beautiful. Both women would be honored."

Tony looked down at his shoes. "I'd much rather have both women here to meet her."

"DiNozzo, you tell that little girl stories about the women she's named after—and she'll get to know them."

"She does like bedtime stories…or well…she likes listening to me talk to her."

"Something she shares with you—you love Ducky's stories," Gibbs said, "Come on let's go."

"Go? Go Where?"

The former marine through a smile at Tony. "Did you think you were going to inform me that you have a daughter and just walk right out of here? I want to go meet her. And we should probably should get going, Tony. Because, after we see her, I'm going to make cowboy steaks for dinner and you're going to stay at my place."

Tony was still confused. Perhaps it was his tired state. "I'm still not following boss."

"Should get as much sleep as you can now."

"Huh?"

Gibbs smiled at him. "Once that baby gets home you're going to be on a three hour feeding schedule."

Tony closed is eyes briefly. Yes, he knew all about newborns and their feeding habits. And, it was true that he didn't get much sleep to begin with now, however the thought that he was completely on his own when it came to Kaitlin latched its talons into his heart and he felt himself shattering. "I don't want to fail boss."

"Failure, Tony," Gibbs said softly, "is not an option."

"It's not?"

"Nope. Never has been on my team. And you haven't failed _me _yet."

Tony watched as the older man opened the door to Vance's office and gestured for him to get moving. Slowly he made his way across the office, sighing heavily, "But this isn't about failing you boss. This is about failing my daughter."

Gibbs sighed and glared at his senior field agent, resisting the urge to slap on the back of the head. "Tony."

"S-sorry boss, I'll shut up."

"No. No you'll listen."

"Okay."

"If you haven't failed me, someone who hasn't necessarily treated you with kindness over the years—you're not about to fail that baby."

Tony nodded his head. "I just don't want to be my father."

Gibbs knew very little about the elder DiNozzo, he'd never met him before. Everything he knew about DiNozzo senior he'd learned from stories that Tony had told over the years, and even that was sporadic and not a lot to go on. So all he could do was give his senior field a curt nod of his own head. "Something tells me, Tony, you're not going to be."

"Yeah," Tony said, following Gibbs out of the office. "And what something is that?"

"My gut," Gibbs said with a smile. "And that hasn't failed me yet."


	3. Legal Advice

**Disclaimer: **Just wanted to point out that I do not have a beta so any grammar mistakes are my own. I do my best, but I can't catch them all.

**A/N: **Much anticipated Gibbs meeting baby Kaitlin chapter! Yes, this little baby is going to have these two men wrapped around her little fingers!

**Natalie,** since you didn't sign in, I'm going to respond to your review here. First off thanks for reviewing, but I think you misread something. Here's the exact quote _Ziva...she's the one that I cannot figure out. There are times I think she'll make a great mother but then I think about all her training and second guess myself. Does she even want kids at all?_ Maybe I could have worded it better, but Tony doesn't KNOW if she would make a great mother or not. He says himself that he second guesses himself about her. I hope you continue to read and not base it one this one quote that I put in, but I am not forcing anyone to read. And, since you asked, it will not be Tiva. I'm not a Tiva shipper myself.

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><p>"I remember when Kelly was this small."<p>

Tony's ears perked up at this statement. Gibbs very rarely spoke about his family. In fact, Tony only knew they existed thanks to the older man being in a coma three year ago. If that had never happened, Tony was sure that he never would have found out about Kelly or Shannon being killed in that car accident. "Did you get to spend a lot of time with her, when she was a baby?" he asked, softly.

Gibbs stroked his finger along Kaitlin's soft cheek. The baby's lips pulled into a reactionary smile. "Yes, until I was reassigned and then deployed the first time."

"It must have been hard to be away from them all the time," Tony mused, watching as Kaitlin stretched her little body in Gibbs' arms.

"All apart of being a marine, Tony," Gibbs stated, sadly. "I knew what I was signing up for, so didn't Shannon when she married me."

Kaitlin yawned, sleepily, snuggled deeper into Gibbs' arms, and drifted off to sleep. She had been fed and changed and was perfectly content to take turns napping in either Tony or Gibbs' embrace.

Gibbs smiled at her and pulled the swaddled pink blanket closer to her. "Hate to break it you, but I have to go back to work." Two lazy, little gray eyes opened and looked at him, giving him a look that reminded him of Tony glaring at Ziva or McGee when they were teasing him. He chuckled. "Sorry. But you can continue your nap in Daddy's arms, okay?"

Tony sighed and shook his head. "Actually. I have a meeting with my lawyer. She's going to have to continue her nap in the nursery."

"Lawyer?"

"Yeah. I have to ensure that Amanda can't come back and try to take Kaitlin from me."

Gibbs hadn't even thought about that. It seemed that Kaitlin's mother was more than happy to walk away. But who was to say in a few years that she wouldn't change her mind. Perhaps she'd get married and be thinking about starting a family. Perhaps she'd want to start that family by coming back and taking away the child she had abandoned. He shuddered thinking about it. "Good idea, Tony."

Tony smiled, half-heartedly. "If there was one thing my father taught me it was to always have a paper trail. Amanda's word isn't good enough for me or the court. A legal document dissolving her parental rights will be."

"Perks of being raised by a business man I guess," Gibbs said, gently sliding the baby back into Tony's arms.

"Yeah, too bad he never gave me advice on how to inform him he's a grandpa," Tony mumbled, looking down at his daughter.

Gibbs stood and found his trench coat, throwing it on over his shoulders. He didn't want to leave Tony to his own devices at this point, but his phone had gone off several times since they had been at the hospital visiting the baby. McGee and Ziva were probably looking for him. "You tell him when you're ready, Tony."

Tony nodded his head. Kaitlin's eyes were fully open now and she was studying her father's face. He gently kissed her cheek. When he pulled back he sighed. "I'm not sure I want my dad to know about her, boss. He wasn't the best father to me and forgive me, but I'm not sure I can see him being a good Grandpa to her."

"Again, it's up to you."

"I know."

Gibbs paused at the door to the private room that the nurses had given the two men upon their arrival to visit with Kaitlin. Hand resting on the door knob, he looked at the senior field agent, sternly. "I meant what I said, Tony, about you staying over my place tonight. Cowboy steaks and beer. And there's something I want to give you before you bring Kaitlin home tomorrow."

Tony looked curious. "Yeah? What's that, boss?"

"DiNozzo, it wouldn't be a gift if I told you what it was," Gibbs admonished him before disappearing.

"You hear that, peanut," Tony said to Kaitlin when the team leader was gone, "Boss wants to give me a gift."

Kaitlin yawned, like she was uninterested and went to sleep.

Tony smiled at her. "Maybe you don't know the significance of that but I do." She snuggled her little body deeper into his arms and he sighed, reaching for the call button to signal to the nurses' station that he was ready to send her back to the nursery. As much as he wanted to spend the rest of the day with her, he had to go and make sure that no one, especially her mother, could take her away from him.

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><p>After leaving the hospital, Tony had gone home and changed out of his work clothes, slid into a pair of jeans and an old Ohio State sweatshirt. He made himself a cup of coffee and glanced at his watch. It was only a little after noon but he was exhausted already. He could only imagine what was coming when Kaitlin came home the following day. Sighing he dug out his cell phone and punched in the number of his old frat buddy, Steve Alder.<p>

He picked up after one ring. "_Not like you to call during the week. Everything all right DiNozzo?"_

"I need some...legal advice," Tony respond stirring the sugar into his coffee.

"_Let me guess you got a girl pregnant and she's filing for child support,_" Steve said with a teasing tone to his voice.

Tony winced. "Something like that."

Steve was silent for a moment. Then he heaved a sigh. "_I'll be over in fifteen."_

"I'm not at NCIS."

"_Okay. I'll come to your apartment."_

"I moved."

"_Seriously? When? Whatever, not important right now. __Text me the new address." _

Tony heard a click as Steve hung up. He quickly sent his new address and put the phone down onto the counter. He was tempted to shut it off but then he knew he'd have Gibbs chasing him all over Washington, D.C if he did that. Slowly he pulled himself away from the island and made his way upstairs.

Underneath his feet the well crafted, old stairs creaked. It was one of the things that he had fallen in love with in the house. It had a wonderful sense of history and charm. It was built in the 1920s. Wrap around porch with an authentic porch swing, decent back yard, hard wood floors and the attention to detail was something that you only found in old homes. The former owners had updated all the fixtures and the bathrooms, but had kept the old house feel and coziness. Tony could see his baby growing up here and at one point he had pictured the three of them becoming a family in this house. His heart ached knowing that it was just going to be the two of them.

He pushed open the door to the nursery and stepped inside. Everything was perfectly done, patiently waiting for baby Kaitlin to come home. Tony sat down in the rocking chair and nursing his cup of coffee just began to absentmindedly rock back and forth. All the excitement he'd felt just a few days ago had vanished into thin air now replaced with fear and lots of fear. When he believed before that he was going to be raising the baby with Amanda it hadn't seemed so scary, they were going to facing parenthood together.

Now, he was going to be facing it alone.

Being alone on this endeavor terrified him. Who would take care of Kaitlin if he were to die in the line of duty? Would she even remember him if that were to happen? Closing his eyes for a moment he tried to push all those unpleasant thoughts from his mind but all he could see was Kate, lying dead on that rooftop. Her face merged into his own and he startled awake, realizing that he had dozed off and someone was ringing the doorbell.

Tony shook his head to clear the cobwebs and then made his way back down to the entryway. Through the glass inlet on the door he could make out his frat brother huddled against the cold. He opened the door quickly and tried to smile at him but he knew it was a horrible effort and that Steve could see right through him.

"Nice neighborhood. When did you move?"

"Three months ago," Tony answered.

"That long and you never called?"

"I was going to have a housewarming party—eventually."

Steve frowned and stepped inside. Tony closed the door behind him and gestured towards the living room. The two men made their way towards the plush sofa. Tony took the lead and sat down, Steve following him momentarily. "Tony—what's going on with you? First, you call me and vaguely hint at that you have a kid. Now, I find you in a house in an Alexandria cookie cutter neighborhood. You're worrying me man."

Tony smiled softly. "I do have a kid, Steve. She was born on Friday. Right now she's at Bethesda."

"Wow. You—a father," Steve breathed. "Never thought I'd see that happen after Wendy left you."

"Neither did I."

"You didn't get married behind my back did you?"

"No, Steve."

Steve eyed him. "Then who's the mother?" he asked, seriously.

Tony let out a slow breath. "Navy Intelligence officer I had a fling with while assigned to the _Seahawk."_

_"_I knew you were doing more than work on that assignment."

"Nice. Thanks for your support, Steve."

Steve looked at his old friend apologetically. "Sorry. That was out of line. Anyways, what kind of legal advice do you need?"

Tony leaned forward, rested his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. "Amanda left. She told me she isn't ready to be a mother yet. What kind of legal rights does she have?"

"Well, we can draft a motion to make you the custodial parent, it would give you control over any decision regarding the baby. Did Amanda leave any contact information?" Steve asked.

"Just a cell number."

"That's fine. We just need to get in contact with her and her lawyer. If she's that serious about not wanting a hand in the baby's life then it shouldn't take too long," he replied, noticing the tired look in his friend's green eyes. "I'll have my office track her down today, I can have all the documents drafted up by the end of the day as well. Just need the baby's name."

"Kaitlin."

Steve felt his heart clench. "That's sweet," he whispered. "Kate...would be honored I think."

Tony sighed, sadly. "It's the least I can do for her now."


	4. Welcome Home Kaitlin

**A/N: **Short, rather fluffy chapter for your reading pleasure. Thank you everyone for taking the time to review and I'm glad that you are enjoying it. There is lots more to come so buckle up!

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><p>Five hours at the hospital with Gibbs visiting Kaitlin and sitting with Steve to get custody paperwork in place, had left Tony tired and hungry.<p>

So, he drove himself straight to the nearest butcher, picked up some steak and beer, and then drove to Gibbs' house so the former marine could cook up his famous cowboy steak for dinner.

"I spoke to Steve today," Tony admitted halfway through dinner.

"And?" Gibbs questioned. He had forgotten that the SFA's friend was a lawyer. "What did he say?"

"Shouldn't be too hard to get Amanda to agree to hand all custodial rights over to me."

"You seem upset by that."

Tony slugged back the rest of his beer and put the empty bottle down onto the coffee table. "After my mom died and I grew up...alone...distanced from my father, I told myself that I never wanted that for my own kids. Kaitlin's already got cards stacked against her if her mother is going to leave just two days after she was born."

Gibbs nodded his head. "There's a difference now, Tony."

"Yeah. What?"

"You didn't abandon her like your father did to you."

Tony felt slightly better, but it might have been because his belly was full of steak and beer. "Did you…did you call the team?"

Gibbs nodded. "Had to let McGee and Ziva know where you were and what you were doing. They seemed worried, supportive of you, Tony. They'll be there to help."

"Well, that's good to know, because I haven't got a clue as to how to put hair into pig tails," Tony joked.

"You'll learn," Gibbs said, easily. "Parenting is a learning experience, Tony. Not just for you but for your daughter as well."

"My daughter. It feels weird saying that," Tony mumbled.

Gibbs clapped him on the back and put his beer down. "Come on, I need your help bringing something down from the attic."

Tony got up and followed his boss up the stairs. Gibbs pulled down the step to the attic and climbed up, his senior field agent behind. He pulled on the light and immediately the dusty attic was illuminated in a dim light. It didn't take the former marine long to find what he was looking for and he crawled through the space towards it. Tony popped his head into the attic. "What are you looking for boss?"

"Something you can use," Gibbs said, sliding the well-crafted frame towards Tony. "A crib."

"I have a crib, boss."

Gibbs scowled. "Please, that sawdust filled crap isn't safe enough for a baby."

Tony chuckled and then realized what he truly looking at. "Boss? Is this…is this Kelly's?"

"Yeah. Made it for her myself. I put it up here hoping that…one day she'd want to use it for her own kids."

Tony's eyes flashed with pain, a sense of longing for the former marine. "Boss, I can't take this! It has sentimental value to you!"

Gibbs glared at Tony. "It's not getting any use up here in my dusty attic, DiNozzo. Besides, I want you to have it. I want your daughter to have it. I'm not going to have any grandchildren of my own, so…it should go to the next closest thing."

"Boss…I don't know what to say."

"How about nothing at all and help me get this down?"

"On it boss," Tony said with a smile.

It only took the two men fifteen minutes to get the crib and changing table that Gibbs had made for his daughter down and into the pick-up truck and they were on their way to Tony's house to set it up. A couple of hours later they had managed to take down the factory made set that Amanda had picked up and put the hand made set by Gibbs into the cozy nursery. It somehow made the nursery feel all the more inviting. Tony ran his fingers along the finely crafted woodwork when they were done. His boss was a master with carpentry. The crib and changing table were crafted out of the finest oak. It was solid and sturdy and he felt absolutely safe putting his daughter in there to sleep at night.

Tony smiled, softly at the newly set up nursery. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were waiting for the day one of us had a kid to pass this on."

Gibbs chuckled, gently behind his senior field agent. "Maybe. Lots of times I thought about getting rid of it."

"Why boss? It's beautiful work."

"Painful memories." _Painful things that I hope you never have to face, Tony. _

"Yeah. I wish…I wish I could have met Shannon and Kelly."

"Shannon would have loved you, Tony."

He turned at this admission and grinned. "Really?"

Gibbs nodded. "Really."

Tony felt comforted by that thought. He looked around the nursery one last time. "I really think Kaitlin is going to love this, boss."

Gibbs chuckled. "Let's get going. You need a good night's sleep before you bring that baby home tomorrow."

"Boss. I'm already home, I should just stay here."

"Your car is at my place."

"Oh. Right."

Gibbs grabbed a nearby diaper bag, already packed and ready to go. He grinned. "Come on, Daddy. I'm serious. Pretty soon you're going to be getting no sleep. Might as well enjoy your last night watching an old western movie with your boss and then sleeping in the guest room."

Tony grinned. "Couldn't think of a better night, boss."

* * *

><p>"Today's the day, Kaitlin," the nurse said to the baby as she lifted her out of the bassinet. "You get to go home with Daddy."<p>

Kaitlin squirmed in the nurse's arms. Her eyes were fully open and she was just soaking in the scene around her as she was gently laid down on a changing table. The nurse changed her diaper and then put her in the outfit that Tony had brought for her to come home in.

Tony stood by, patiently stroking the silky locks of his daughter's hair. He was scared out of his mind but he knew that he had to face those fears. Kaitlin needed him and that was all that mattered. "Grandpa Gibbs and I set up your crib last night. It belonged to his daughter, Kelly and he made it himself. I think you're going to love it."

"Aw, that's sweet. Her grandpa made the furniture. You sound like you have a loving family, Agent DiNozzo," the nurse replied, smiling.

"Yeah. They're pretty decent to me," Tony said, returning the smile. _I hope they all love you like I do, baby girl. _

Kaitlin shifted her gaze to her father. He smiled down at her. How could they not fall in love with her? She was the most beautiful little baby in the whole world. Tony lifted her into his arms and rocked her a little before the nurse helped him get her into her snowsuit. She hated it of course and screamed in protest and the two were done. Tony leaned down and kissed her on the top of her little head and then wiped her tears.

Tony now put the fussy baby into her carrier. "Let's go home, peanut."

* * *

><p>Timothy McGee stepped back from hanging up a banner that read <em>Welcome Home Kaitlin! <em>

It had been Abby's idea to go to Tony's place and surprise the senior field agent when he got home with the baby. Gibbs had agreed, even drove over to Tony's new house. Ziva had picked up a cake and McGee had been helping Abby with the finishing touches. Now, the team was just waiting for Tony to get home.

McGee found his stomach was filled with nervous butterflies. It had been a shock when Gibbs had told them the day before that Tony was a father and that he was going to be raising the baby girl all on his own. The junior agent wasn't sure how he should react to this bit of news. Obviously he was worried about Tony and how Tony was handling it, and he did want to help out anyway that he could, but, McGee knew less about babies than even Tony did.

"Wow! This looks great! Tony's going to be floored!" Jimmy Palmer exclaimed, happily. "We've outdone ourselves."

"I hope he likes it," Abby said, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "I want to give Kaitlin the proper welcome into our family."

"I still...I still can't believe it. Tony...a dad," Jimmy said with a chuckle.

Gibbs came back into the room carrying coffees and one Caf-Pow. "Get used to it Palmer. Just got off the phone with him, he's ten minutes from here."

Abby quickly told everyone to get into their _places. _McGee rolled his eyes as he was shoved into a corner with Ziva, who had been rather quiet about the whole thing since she had picked the lock to get into Tony's house. McGee made a mental note to ask her about later because something was obviously bothering her. She had been distant from the group since they had all been returned to Washington and he wondered what had happened to her over in Israel during the summer.

Right now, it wasn't the time or place to rehash their summers and perhaps bring back painful memories. A car could be heard turning into the driveway and then a door opened and shut. McGee's nervous butterflies exploded in his stomach as he heard footsteps on the front porch and Tony's voice talking lightly to the baby.

Keys jingled in the lock and the knob turned. Tony stepped into the house, a baby carrier in his hand and a diaper bag over his shoulder, and McGee managed to take one, deep breath before Abby gave the signal and they jumped out yelling "Welcome home!"


	5. Meeting the Family

**A/N: ** Time for the team to meet baby Kaitlin!

* * *

><p>For a second there was absolute silence as Tony stood there, blinking rapidly. And then Kaitlin let out a frightened cry.<p>

"Oh my God, Tony! We didn't mean to scare her!" Abby exclaimed.

"It's...it's okay, Abs," Tony assured her with a smile. He gestured towards the tiny baby in the carrier. "She'll get over it, eventually."

"Do you think she'll let me hold her?" Abby asked, anxiously.

Tony nodded his head. He kicked the door to the house shut and placed the carrier down onto the floor. Gently he lowered the handle on the baby seat, undid the buckles and then eased the baby out of her snow suit. Rubbing her tummy he managed to get her little wails down to whimpers. "There, is that better, baby? Come on, let's get you out. There are people here that want to meet you."

Kaitlin fussed and rubbed her little fist over her face. Tony settled her into his arms and bounced her slightly. "Look, this is your Auntie Abby." He softly transferred the fussy baby into Abby's arms.

"Hi baby," Abby whispered to her, "we've all been waiting to meet you!"

"She's been eager to meet you too, I think," Tony said smiling. "At least...I've been eager for her to meet you."

Kaitlin squirmed in Abby's arms and cried a little. "It's okay, baby. Daddy didn't go anywhere," the scientist told her gently, shifting slightly so the baby could see her father. She placated a little bit but not much. "Gosh, Tony, she looks so much like you!"

Tony reached out and stroked Kaitlin's cheek with his finger. They pulled into a reflexive grin but he could definitely see where Abby was coming from. Smiling at his daughter, he backed up slowly and slipped out of his coat, hanging it up in the closet in the hall. He glanced up at the banner. "Let me guess, this was Abby's idea?"

McGee shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but we all wanted to do something for you."

"We picked up a cake from your favorite bakery," Ziva added.

"Thanks, but you really didn't have to do all this," Tony said, softly.

"Nonsense, Anthony," Ducky said, reaching out to pat the SFA on the back. "Little Kaitlin is apart of our family now. We wanted to give her a proper welcome home." The medical examiner gestured for Abby to hand over the infant. Abby transferred Kaitlin into his arms and Ducky smiled down at her.

Tony watched as Ducky moved into the living room, going to sit down on the sofa with Kaitlin, softly speaking to her. He followed and flopped down into an easy chair, and Abby jumped at the chance to go cut the cake. He grinned. Even though his plans of a quiet first afternoon home with his daughter had been squashed, he was glad they had been squashed by his team throwing a surprise party for them.

Ducky right now was utterly enthralled with the baby. "What a beautiful baby," the elderly medical examiner said as he cradled Kaitlin in his arms, "you my dear have stolen all our hearts with just a tiny glance. Quite the feet, my little darling. You brought down one of the toughest teams of federal agents that NCIS has to offer."

Kaitlin blinked her large, expressive eyes and opened her little mouth while listening to Ducky speak to her. One little hand reached up and Ducky gave her his finger to latch onto. Ducky smiled at her and bounced her in his arms. Gibbs, seated near by had to agree with his assessment, this tiny infant _had _brought them all to their knees, in a good way of course, but he had to chuckle at how something so tiny had been able to accomplish the feat when they had been confronted by so much danger in the past.

Tony grinned, boyishly at Ducky. "This doesn't remind you of a time…" he started for the doctor.

"Presently, no," Ducky quipped, grinning. "But I am sure that there will be plenty of time to regale stories to young Kaitlin."

"Bet she'll like the stories, Ducky," the senior field agent murmured, uncoiling his long limbs and stretching. "I always do."

Deciding that Kaitlin was in good hands, Tony got up, grabbed Kaitlin's diaper bag and went into the kitchen. Abby had sliced the cake and was serving it on pink paper plates. Jimmy was making sure that each plate had a matching pink fork. Tony silently watched them as they happily buzzed about, chatting away. He put the bottles of formula that the nurses had helped him make up into the fridge and reached for a slice of cake.

Abby slapped his hand back. "You need to wait, mister."

Tony frowned. "Aw, Abs. I haven't had anything to eat today. I've been so nervous about bringing Kaitlin home."

"Bring these out to the others and you can have yours," Abby said handing him three paper plates.

"Fine," Tony pouted going back to the living room.

Kaitlin was now snuggled in Gibbs arms, his finger firmly in her tiny grasp. Tony noticed that Ziva was perched nearby but seemed reluctant to get too close to the baby. He slipped the plates of cake onto the coffee table. It occurred to him then that perhaps the Mossad officer had little to no experience with babies. She seemed more than happy to let Gibbs get all the baby's attention right now, with her hands folded tightly in her lap.

He tossed a grin towards his partner. "You can hold her, Ziva. She doesn't bite. She doesn't even have teeth yet."

Ziva glared at him. "I know that, Tony. But she seems quite comfortable. I do not want to disturb her."

Tony sat down on the sofa next to McGee and Abby finally let him have a slice of cake. He scoffed it down not knowing his next meal was going to come because the team wouldn't be here forever feeding him and entertaining the baby. Soon he was going to have to care for her by himself. In fact, he should probably eat as much as possible.

He went back into the kitchen while Jimmy took his turn holding her and grabbed another piece of cake.

"Anthony," Ducky's voice interrupted his thoughts. Tony turned to look at him. "There is something that I wanted to give you."

"Really?"

"Yes, really," he said, pulling something from the brown paper shopping bag he had carried in. "I wanted to give the little one this. My grandmother made this for me when I was just a wee babe my self. And since I do not have children of my own, I would be honored if you take it for little Kaitlin."

Tony's heart hammered in his chest as he took the beautifully crafted white afghan from Ducky. One could tell that it was made with love. It was soft and warm and he imagined that Kaitlin was going to love snuggling in it. "Wow, Ducky…I don't know…I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Ducky sat down and pat him on the back. "You don't have to say a word, my boy. Seeing your baby kept warm by that blanket will be enough gratitude for me."

"She already loves to snuggle, Ducky," Tony said with a smile, "but she's going to love it even more now."

"Yes. I noticed that earlier. Quite the charmer she is."

Tony sadly put the blanket back into the bag and sighed. "She is. I wish she had been able to charm her mother. I feel awful that she isn't going to have one."

Ducky reached out and put his arm around Tony and directed him back towards the living room. "Anthony, your daughter is not lacking any love. Just take a look."

He peered into the living room. Abby was trying to get McGee to hold the baby.

"I, ah, I don't really know how to hold a baby, Abby."

"Do you think Tony did?"

"Well no."

"See, you'll learn!" Abby said, gently instructing him on what to do and slipped the baby into his arms.

Kaitlin gazed up at him, a curious look on her face. She let out a little frightened cry suddenly and McGee felt himself tense up. He turned, a panicked expression on his face as the baby cried a bit harder. "What do I do?"

Tony came to his rescue and took the infant from him, hushing her, almost immediately upon hearing his voice she stopped crying, snuggled into her father's arms.

McGee frowned at Abby. "See I'm not good with kids."

"It's been a busy morning for her, McGee," Tony said, continuing to hush the now fussy baby.

"Yes, Timothy, maybe the rest of us should go, let Anthony spend some time with her without all of us breathing down his neck," Ducky suggested.

Abby frowned in protest but McGee managed to pull her away, and one by one the team left, wishing him well. Soon Tony was the only one in the room with Kaitlin. He sat down onto the sofa and looked at her. "Just you and me now, baby girl. I promise you, I'm going to do the best I can, be the best daddy for you. We're in this together, okay?"

Kaitlin stopped fussing and focused on him. Tony smiled and kissed her cheek. "I never thought I'd want to be a daddy, but then I laid eyes on you. Huh, guess love at first sight does exist."

Tony watched as she snuggled into his arms and promptly fell asleep. He gazed at some of the gifts that the team had brought her that day—the blanket from Ducky, some Ohio State clothes from Abby, board books from Ziva of her favorite children's stories, an NCIS jumper from Palmer, and a nice soft, plushy bunny from McGee. Looking back down at the baby he thought back to what Ducky had said, that his baby was not lacking any love. The team was a family and they had welcomed Kaitlin into it with open arms.


	6. Future Ohio State Alum

**A/N: **I am glad that everyone loved the team meeting Kaitlin for the first time. There will be a lot more interactions with the team later in the story, especially as we make our way through the series, but first Tony needs to get all the legal stuff squared away.

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><p>"There we go, baby, all clean," Tony cooed as he lifted Kaitlin out of the sink and wrapped her in a pink, hooded towel. Kaitlin fussed. She had not been a happy baby throughout the entire process of her first bath. In fact, she had rather hated it. Tony kissed the now settling infant on the temple. "I know, you didn't like that. It's all done for now."<p>

Kaitlin let out a little sigh and frowned at her father while he brought her upstairs.

Tony carried her into the nursery where he laid her down onto the changing table. He dried her squirming, shivering body and quickly dressed her in a clean diaper and in the Ohio State jumper that Abby had given her. Tony smiled down at her as her fussing stopped, "Well, look at you-maybe we have a future Ohio State alum?"

Kaitlin eyed her father, cautiously, and then let out frustrated, little wail.

With a glance at the time, Tony brought her downstairs, and went to make her a bottle. Together they sat down on the sofa. He turned the television on, found some college hoops and then eased back into the cushions of the sofa, gently guiding the nipple of the bottle into Kaitlin's little mouth. "Auntie Abby's right, you're a bottomless pit," he said to her lovingly while she fed eagerly. "Must be Italian."

She quickly finished her lunch, even smiled a little after letting out a healthy burp when she was done. Tony chuckled at her and put the bottle down. He found the blanket that Ducky had given him and swaddled the baby in it. She yawned and started to drift off to sleep almost immediately. Tony was perfectly content to let her nap in his arms while he watched the rest of the basketball game.

After the game was over he gently put her into her bouncy seat and went to heat himself a bowl of chili. His neighbors had been very helpful since Kaitlin had come home, stopping by to see if he needed anything and bringing him meals that he could easily heat up in the microwave. He was glad to have them. They were good, decent people, and he promised himself that he was going to repay them somehow, eventually.

When he came back into the living room he noticed that Kaitlin had woken up. He flipped the Ohio State game on and proceeded to eat his own lunch.

Kaitlin watched him with intense eyes for a few moments and then she'd focus on something else, until she caught sight of his arm raising to his mouth to shovel chili into it. The movement caused her to stop and stare at him. Tony laughed at the puzzled expression on her face while she tried to figure out what exactly he was doing. His movements managed to entertain for the first quarter but then she got fussy and wanted out of the bouncy seat.

Tony, finished with his chili, put the bowl aside and took the infant out of the bouncy chair. He snuggled her into his arms, moved the chair, and said, "How about I give you your first lesson on basketball?" he questioned. "See that guy there? He's the point guard. It's his job to get the ball up the court and set up the plays so the team can get points. Now, they get those points by getting that orange ball into the basket. It's actually a lot harder than it sounds."

Her response was to reach out and grasp his finger. She attempted to put it into her mouth but she hadn't mastered that movement yet. There was a knock at the door and Tony stood, cradling her in one arm.

He peered outside to see Steve standing on his porch. Opening the door he grinned, sleepily. "Come by to watch the game with us?"

Steve paused for a moment, eyes falling onto the baby girl in Tony's arms. "This...wow, guess it's real huh?"

"Yeah. She's real. What brings you by?" Tony asked.

"Can I come in for a moment?"

"Sure."

Tony allowed Steve into the house, closed the door behind him and followed Steve into the living room. He put Kaitlin back into the bouncy seat. She protested immediately. Gently he reached out and rocked the seat back and forth. "Everything alright, Steve?"

Steve nodded slowly watching his old fraternity buddy with the baby. "Yeah. I spoke with Amanda's lawyer. The paperwork all checks out, we just have to meet with them to finalize it. I made the appointment for Monday afternoon her lawyer's office in Baltimore."

"I appreciate all this Steve. When I finally get everything settled, ya know find a decent baby-sitter, I'm taking you out for a beer," Tony said with a smile.

"Yeah, I'm gonna hold you to that, Tony. The wedding plans are starting to drive me a little crazy," Steve said with a laugh.

Tony glanced at the baby for a moment. If Steve thought he was going batty now he had another thing coming when Alyssa wanted to have kids. But, he didn't want to scare the man off, not yet anyways. He grinned, lopsidedly. "Yeah well, it will be worth it in the end. At least...that's what some people have told me."

Steve leaned back on the cushions of the sofa. "Who, exactly told you that? Your father's track record with women hasn't been great"

"You're not having doubts about getting married are you?"

"No. No doubts. Just...like I said, wedding plans might kill me."

"Just wait until you have kids."

Steve chuckled while Kaitlin's cries turned into high pitched wails demanding the two men's attention. Tony slipped her out of the bouncy seat and rested her on his chest. Steve watched with astonishment as the baby curled up and fell asleep, like she was comfortable being there. His mouth must have fallen open slightly because Tony was looking at him suspiciously. He gave his head a little shake to clear the cobwebs. "It's gonna take a long time to get used to _you _with a baby," he finally said.

Tony rubbed his daughter's back and leaned into the sofa. "Yeah. You aren't the only one getting used to it."

"Fatherhood seems to suit you, Tony," Steve pointed out.

"How so?"

"I dunno, you seem...at ease."

Tony cocked an eyebrow. "I've gotten maybe ten hours of solid sleep over the last week. I can assure you that I'm not at ease."

Steve laughed. "Well, you're doing a hell of a job pulling it off."

"Well, that's good. Hey, want a beer?"

"Sure."

"Top shelf in the fridge."

"You aren't gonna get up and get me one?"

"Do I look like I'm in any position to move? Besides I get up she screams. You don't want to hear her scream."

Steve had to agree with him. He got up off the sofa and went into the kitchen. Opening the fridge he was startled. In Tony's old apartment there hadn't been much food. He was used to take out and making reservations. In this house the fridge had everything he would need to sustain himself. Milk, orange juice, fruit and veggies. Beer. Steve chuckled that there were several pre-made bottles of baby formula standing proud and tall, front and center, next to the beer. _Daddy's drinks and baby's drinks. _

As Steve made his way back into the living room, he found that Tony had dozed off, the baby in his arms. _Cute. _With a heavy sigh he sat back onto the couch, popped the beer open, and with a slight grin on his lips, watched the rest of the game in silence.

By the time Tony woke up Steve was long gone, the game long over. Kaitlin was stirring in his arms, hungry and in need of a change. Tony pulled his aching body off the sofa and up the stairs to the nursery, where Kaitlin proved to be difficult to change because she was hungry and squirming about like crazy. Her temper always managed to rear its ugly head when she was hungry.

"Ziva would say you get that from me, getting moody when you're hungry_," _Tony mused as he finished changing her.

She continued to cry all the way back down the stairs, Tony doing his best to soothe her as they went. Thank the lord it only took a few minutes to warm up her bottle and with receiving clothe slung over his right arm, Kaitlin nestled into the nook of his left one, Tony made his way back into the living room. He sat down on the sofa, eased himself into a comfortable position, and guided the nipple into her mouth. Eagerly she began to drink, eyes focused right on her father.

An overwhelming feeling of love washed over Tony, and he smiled, "You know something, peanut, I think I can get used to this being a daddy thing, even if I am going a little batty."

* * *

><p>Gibbs had spread out the Sunday morning paper on his kitchen table, made himself a pot of coffee and breakfast and settled in for a quiet afternoon. It had been a long week without Tony. His team had shouldered the work load being down an agent but it was painfully obvious, at least to Gibbs, just how much Tony did around NCIS.<p>

He wasn't going to push Tony into coming back, though. There were a lot of things that the SFA had to smooth out before he could even entertain the thought of returning to work.

Outside Gibbs could hear a car approach and then pull into his driveway. It was followed by the sound of a car door opening and closing, and then his front door creaking. He glanced up to see Tony tentatively walk into his dining room, Kaitlin's carrier on his arm, diaper bag over his shoulder.

"Hey, boss, hope you don't mind that we stopped by for a visit," Tony said with a soft smile.

"No. Pull up a chair," Gibbs replied, gesturing towards the table.

Tony put the carrier down onto the table, on top of the paper spread out, and then slid the bag off his shoulder. He dropped down into a chair and let out a tired sigh.

Gibbs lowered the handle on the carrier and eased the baby out. Her eyes popped open at the movement and she protested while the former marine got her out of her snow suit, but once she was free of the warm winter wear, she settled into Gibbs' arms and went back to taking her nap. "You look tired, DiNozzo," the team leader pointed out.

"Yeah. Rough night last night," Tony sighed. "Tummy problems. For me, not her. Ate too much chili."

"Are you here to ask me to watch her so you can sleep?"

"No. I...I'm meeting with Amanda and her lawyer tomorrow morning."

Gibbs looked down at the sleeping baby in his arms. "It's for the best, DiNozzo, that you get this taken care of."

Tony sighed. "I know. Boss...would you...would you come to Baltimore with me?"

In the end there really wasn't any other decision that Gibbs could make. "Yeah, Tony. I'll go with you."


	7. Full Custody

**A/N: **Legal stuff is going to get wrapped up in this chapter. I'm happy that everyone is enjoying this story so far! I am having a lot of fun writing it.

**Thank you for your favorites, follows, and reviews! They are very much appreciated!**

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><p>The law offices of Richard Lawson and associates were situated in a twenty story building in downtown Baltimore. Tony and Gibbs arrived fifteen minutes before the start of the meeting and were asked to sit in the lobby of the lavish, modern office. Tony was now seated on a black leather sofa, Gibbs next to him, looking out at the all glass wall at the skyline. Kaitlin was awake in her carrier, but blissfully entertained by some dangling toys from the handle of her seat. Tony had taken her coat and hat off but left the blanket wrapped around her legs.<p>

His stomach was churning with nervous butterflies and he was grateful that Gibbs had made the trip with him, even if he had to return to Washington and NCIS right after they were done here. Right now the team leader was flipping through a magazine that he had found on the coffee table in front of them, offering his support in his silent way. Tony smiled. It was all the support he needed at the moment.

Kaitlin fussed slightly just as the doors to the law office opened and Steve Adler stepped in. Tony hit the toys on the handle and the baby stopped fussing for a few seconds. She was getting itchy to be released from the carrier, Tony was sure of this.

"How are you doing today?" Steve asked when he approached."You look like you haven't gotten anymore sleep."

"Steve," Tony drawled, glaring at him, "when you have a newborn remember this moment okay? Because I'm going to relish in it."

"I forgot how snippy you get when you're sleep deprived," Steve teased. He then held a hand out to Gibbs. "You must be Agent Gibbs, Steve Adler, pleasure to finally meet you, sir."

Gibbs smiled slightly while he shook the younger man's hand. Steve pulled back and looked down at Kaitlin, who was watching the toys with intense interest. Gently the lawyer reached out and clapped Tony on the back before sitting down on the other side of him on the sofa.

Tony was content to just sit there in silence. Of course, that meant he couldn't stop the terrifying thoughts running through his head. What if Amanda had changed her mind and would sue him for custody? It had only been a week but Tony loved Kaitlin and it scared him to think that she could be taken away from him.

"Mr. Adler? Mr. Larson is ready to see you now," the receptionist announced.

"Alright, thank you," Steve said standing up. He straightened his suit coat and looked down at Tony. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Tony replied. He got to his feet and grabbed for Kaitlin's carrier, noticing that Gibbs had stood and grabbed the diaper bag.

Slowly he pulled himself into the conference room. Amanda was seated at the table with her lawyer. She was in uniform, her cover on the table in front of her, and her blonde hair was pulled back into a tight French braid. For a woman that had given birth almost two weeks ago she wasn't looking so bad. Of course, she'd been able to get a full night's sleep, Tony thought with disdain. Anyone would look that good. Glaring at her, he plopped himself down into a chair across from her, gently placing the carrier on the table next to him.

Steve reached across the table and shook her lawyer's hand. "Mr. Larson, thank you for seeing us. This shouldn't take that long."

Richard Larson gave him a small smile. "Yes, it seems that you have everything in order, Mr. Alder."

"It seemed in the best interests of our clients to get everything squared away quickly," Steve replied. "Now, just so we're clear here, Mr. Larson, your client understands that by signing these document she's agreeing to giving full custodial rights of her daughter to Mr. DiNozzo? And also by doing so, she understands that if she wants to be apart of her daughter's life later down the road that every decision has to be made with Mr. DiNozzo's consent?"

Amanda cast her blue eyes upward, made brief contact with Tony, before mutely nodding her head.

Steve pushed the piece of paper that would hand full custody to Tony across the table. "Excellent. Please, sign here please, Lieutenant Kingston."

Tony watched with contempt as she took the pen, signed her name in a flourish, and just like that severed her ties from their baby. _She's your baby now, Anthony, _he told himself. "Can I ask you something?" he snapped out, catching her attention with his dark undertone.

Amanda tensed, eyes falling on his angry face. "Yes. What is it?"

"What am I supposed to tell her in, say, three years when she starts asking why she doesn't have a mother? Do I tell her the truth that her mother abandoned her?"

"Tony, I just...I can't handle it right now."

"You can't handle it? What makes you think I can?"

Amanda's eyes filled with tears. "You've always been stronger than me, Tony. When I wanted to abort the pregnancy you told me _no, _that you were going to take care of me and our baby. I was never certain about how I would be as a mother, but I knew you would make a great father. I know...I know she's in good hands."

Tony fell strangely silent. "We could have done it together. It takes two to make a baby, and in case you weren't aware, I'm not so certain I'll be that great at this father thing."

She offered him a soft, sad smile. "You always told me you liked a challenge."

His eyes flickered towards Gibbs. Yeah, guess that was true, in a way, Tony realized. He let out a sigh. "We could have figured something out with your job, Amanda, you didn't have to walk away completely."

"I'm preparing to be deployed overseas. In a year's time I might not even be in the United States. How would you have worked that out? Fly with her across the Atlantic every three months?"

"Well, no...but there are ways to stay in touch."

Amanda's face pulled into tight, tense lines. "My mission is classified, Tony. Only a few people know where I'll be."

Tony sighed, feeling his frustration level rising. He knew that he wasn't getting through to her, that he wasn't going to make her see his side, but he couldn't help but trying. Kaitlin deserved better than getting walked out on, forgotten. The room now fell into an awkward silence as no one knew what exactly to say.

Gibbs was the one to break the ice. "You could have declined the assignment. Navy isn't going to send you anywhere for a year anyways. Plenty of time for them to find someone else." he said.

"Declining the assignment was not an option," Amanda argued. "I'm not done yet, sir. I still have work to do."

"Other jobs you could have taken to finish that work that didn't take you away from your daughter," the former marine argued. "You took the easy way out."

Amanda's blue eyes narrowed. "I think we're done here, right Mr. Larson?"

Larson nervously nodded his head. "Yes. We are. Mr. Adler will have the papers processed as soon as possible."

"Good."

"I...I guess then we'll be going," Steve said, standing. "Again thank you for your time."

Tony slowly followed suit, his hand clutching tightly onto the handle of Kaitlin's carrier. He squared his shoulders at Amanda, and informed her, "If you ever change your mind, and want to meet her, you know where to find me."

With that said, Tony followed Steve out into the lobby. His lawyer was looking annoyed at Gibbs but didn't say anything. After all, Steve was very much aware of what the second "B" in the team leader's name stood for. Tony was just glad that Gibbs had the guts to come out and tell Amanda what he'd been tip-toeing around for the last week. Amanda had taken the easy way out and poor Kaitlin was the one that was going to suffer. Tony let out a frustrated sigh. "She isn't going to come back."

"Maybe it's better that way," Steve offered.

"Yeah," Tony whispered as he set Kaitlin's carrier down. "Maybe."

He began to bundle her back up to head out into the cold. Tony didn't feel like this was the best way, but there was nothing else he could do. He couldn't force Amanda to stay and be a mother to the baby. Looking down at Kaitlin's sweet face it hit him that it really was just the two of them now.


	8. Rule 38

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Bounce"

**A/N: **This chapter is an alternative beginning to "Bounce." So, spoilers ahead. Anyways, thank you every for leaving reviews, favoriting, or following my story :). A guest reviewer pointed out the Navy's policy on deployment after a mother gives birth, so I've changed some dialogue in the previous chapter to reflect that. Tony and Kaitlin's journey is just getting started!

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><p>It was hard to believe that it had been three weeks since his baby had entered his life, but Tony couldn't imagine life without Kaitlin.<p>

On a chilly Tuesday morning he bundled the baby up and placed her into her car seat. She was rather fussy that day, thanks to not sleeping well the night before, but he had to run out of all the casserole dishes that the neighbors had brought him and thus had to go to the grocery store to stock up the fridge.

Kaitlin immediately fell asleep in the car. Tony was happy for at least the fifteen minutes of quiet because once he got to the store it didn't last. The cold air, the sudden movement of her carrier, or the constant women stopping to coo and gush over her woke her up.

He was not prepared for the attention that the baby was going to bring him, especially from attractive women. Tony got more smiles and flirty looks that morning than he had gotten in months. Putting a case of bottled water into the bottom of the cart, Tony shook his head to clear his thoughts. Dating, flirting, all that had been placed on the back burner even before Kaitlin had come into his life because he'd foolishly believed Amanda was going to stay, that they were going to make it work. Now that he had the baby to think about, well, dating was the least of his concerns.

Kaitlin let out a fussy cry and when Tony glanced at her he could see that she was rubbing her eyes. She was probably due for a nap, longer than the catnap she had taken in the car.

"Just five more minutes, baby," he promised her. "We're almost done. And then we can go home and you can nap."

She apparently was not happy with his answer. Her cry was sad, heart breaking, and Tony wanted to stop it immediately. It was different than her other cries. It wasn't angry. It wasn't screechy. It was just...sad.

"Okay, okay," he said to her as he finished his shopping and went through the check out. "We're done. We're going home now."

Her eyes were filled with large tears, her bottom lip quivering while she cried. Tony quickly got her into the car and put his groceries in the trunk. Then, they were on their way home. It didn't take long for the motion of the car to lull the baby to sleep once again.

Tony knew something was off the moment he opened the door to his car and stepped out into the driveway. His gut just had that tingly feeling in it that he could not shake. So, he quickly got Kaitlin out of the car and into the house, safely tucked away in her Pack-and-Play before he went back out to car to get his groceries. His eyes made a sweeping arc of the street. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary he turned his back and started to pull out the brown paper bags. Even then he knew he was being watched. Years of training kicked in at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Swiftly he yanked his gun from his shoulder holster and turned on his heel, cocking the pistol at the encroacher. "Not another step."

"Is this anyway to welcome a guy just out of prison?" the good looking man standing in front of him said, slyly.

"What are you doing here, Renny? Beg for your innocence again?" Tony snapped, not lowering his weapon.

Renny Grant flashed him a cocky grin. "Heard you became a father, Agent DiNozzo. Congratulations."

Tony's eyes flickered towards the house, where right now Kaitlin was safe inside, and he was going to make sure it stayed that way. "I did. But enough about me, you didn't answer my question. Why are you here?"

Down the street there was the roar of engines and then two blue Chargers appeared at the end of his driveway. Tony, still clutching tightly to his weapon, watched as Gibbs and McGee popped out of one car, guns drawn and Ziva jumped out of the other. Renny looked over his shoulder before turning back towards towards Tony. "Looks like the calvary is here, DiNozzo. Guess they found Justin in the hotel."

"Renny Grant, NCIS! Get on the ground!" Gibbs shouted. When Renny didn't move, Ziva added, "NOW!"

"I'm not even armed. I just came to talk to Agent DiNozzo," Renny stated. "We have unfinished business."

"Down on the ground!" Ziva shouted again, raising her weapon slightly.

"Better do as they say, Renny," Tony warned him.

Slowly Renny got down onto the ground and put his hands behind his head. Quickly Ziva and McGee were swarming in like mad bees, searching the man for a weapon and then handcuffing him. The two yanked Renny to his feet and dragged him to the awaiting Charger.

Tony finally lowered and put his away his weapon. He ran his hands through his hair and let out a shaky breath. Looking up he noticed his boss giving instructions to Ziva and McGee before the two got into the Charger with Renny and drove off, probably back to NCIS. He didn't know how _they _knew where Renny had gone but he was thankful that they did and that they had rushed to get here. It wasn't just about protecting his six anymore, it was also about protecting Kaitlin. _Kaitlin! _

He ran up the front porch steps and into the house, heart racing. It slowed only until he saw his baby sound asleep. Gently he scooped her up into his arms. She stirred, her little eyes opening and finding her father. She fussed slightly now that she had been woken, but Tony didn't care. She was safe-they _both _were safe.

"You shouldn't leave your front door open like this," Gibbs voice interrupted him.

"You leave yours unlocked," Tony countered, turning to see his boss standing there with his grocery bags.

Gibbs smiled. "I don't have a three week old daughter."

Tony sighed and glanced back down Kaitlin's scrunched up, annoyed face. He rocked her back and forth in his arms. "Boss, I have never been more terrified than I was today. Renny didn't even have a weapon, boss! The moment I pulled my gun, he wasn't going to hurt me! But just the thought...that he could and then get into the house to hurt her. I...I would have done anything to protect her, boss. And what the hell, boss? He just shows up out of the blue!"

"Witness in his case was found murdered downtown this morning. He checked out of the hotel using your name," Gibbs said. "We figured he was on his way here to see you to extract more revenge-his unfinished business."

"Yeah, I guess since the man proclaimed his innocence even after I put him away, it made sense he'd come here," Tony breathed.

Gibbs watched his SFA for a moment and then sighed, himself. "Do you have childcare yet, DiNozzo?"

Tony looked at him, eyes wide. "No. Not yet. I was going to work on that today. Why?"

"Rule Thirty-Eight."

"Your case, your lead."

"Uh-huh."

Kaitlin stretched in his arms, reminding him that she was still there. Tony looked down at her. Gibbs needed him at work, but she needed him here at home. He was torn. He loved his job. _But you love Kaitlin too. _"Boss, I don't...I don't know what to do."

Gibbs found the discarded diaper bag and grabbed it. "Come on. Neighbor that lives across the street from me is a retired teacher. I'm sure she wouldn't mind watching Kaitlin for the day while we figure this mess out."

"Boss, are you serious? You want me to take lead on this?" Tony quipped, even while he eagerly dressed Kaitlin back in her winter coat.

"Yeah, DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a smile. "I wouldn't have found a baby-sitter for you."

Tony paused, confused. "But we haven't even asked your neighbor yet."

Gibbs cracked an impish grin. "Actually. I did. On the way over. She said she'd be delighted."

"Don't suppose she said she'd like a full time nanny position?"

"No chance you're getting _that _lucky. Let's go."

Tony glanced at Kaitlin now secured back into her car seat. "Hey," he said to her, "it was worth a shot."


	9. Making It Right

**Disclaimer: **I do not own some of the dialogue that was taken directly from "Bounce." That belongs to the writers.

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Bounce".

**A/N: **Here is the next part! Enjoy!

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><p>It was obvious to Gibbs, as he drove Tony back to the Bradley's to pick up Kaitlin, that the investigation had taken a lot out of his SFA. He knew that none of them wanted to put an innocent man away, but Tony was taking this case hard. Or, perhaps, as he watched the young man check his cell phone for messages, he was taking the separation from his daughter hard. "You'll get used to it, ya know," Gibbs promised him, breaking the silence.<p>

Tony gazed at him underneath tired eyes. "Used to what?"

Gibbs chuckled. "Being away from Kaitlin."

"Was I that obvious today?"

"Uh-huh."

Tony rubbed a hand over his face. It had been difficult leaving Kaitlin with Gibbs' neighbor. Even though the woman was lovely and he was sure that she was more than capable of taking care of the baby, just the thought of a stranger watching her made his stomach fill with nervous butterflies.

Gibbs could relate to how his SFA was feeling. He had hated to leave Shannon and Kelly that first time, alone, while he was half-way across the world getting shot at. "Kaitlin is going to be fine, Tony. You'll see."

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><p>Kaitlin was indeed fine. She was much happier when Tony had picked her up and went right to sleep that night. She was still up for her three hour feedings but went right back down.<p>

In the morning, when he got up to get her ready, he found her already awake just laying there looking up at her mobile. "Well good morning, peanut," he greeted smiling at her. He noticed that her eyes shifted to look at him. "It's a beautiful day outside. Are you ready to spend it with Mrs. Bradley again?"

Tony reached into the crib and lifted her out. He carried her to the changing table and laid her down. As he changed her, he marveled at how much she _was _changing. She had lost her newborn features. Her hair was not as dark and she was getting bigger every day. Sure, she was still his little peanut, but he did not need a doctor to tell him that she had put on some weight. "Speaking of the doctor, we have a well baby check-up soon. And I don't know about you but I think we are going to pass it with flying colors."

Kaitlin sighed heavily and Tony laughed. He kissed her soft cheek and picked her back up, making his way downstairs. He made her a bottle and went to sit down. While she was eating his cell phone rang. Tony juggled the baby into one arm and managed to find his phone and flip it open. "DiNozzo."

"_I got something," _Abby's voice said happily. "_When are you coming in?"_

"As soon as I drop Kaitlin off at the baby-sitter I'll be in."

"_Wow that's so weird hearing you say that." _

Tony chuckled and looked down at Kaitlin. Her eyes locked with his and gosh, he just was smitten with her. "I hope whatever you found doesn't keep me too late at work. Kaitlin and I have a date with Uncle Steve tonight."

Abby laughed. "_No. It shouldn't keep you. But I did get Renny's current address."_

"Fantastic. Text to me. I'll see you soon."

"_Tony." _

"Yeah?"

_"Two things-first becareful. I never want you to get hurt but now I really, really don't want you to get hurt because of Katie. Second, when does Kaitlin get to have a date with Auntie Abby?"_

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><p>Pulling the Charger up outside of Renny's house, Tony took a deep breath. It had been a little bit easier leaving Kaitlin at Mrs. Bradley's house that morning. The sixty-five year old grandmother of seven was sweet and bubbly and Tony felt absolutely comfortable leaving his daughter in her care. He wondered if Gibbs could help him convince Mrs. Bradley to become Kaitlin's nanny.<p>

Taking a deep breath Tony got out of the car, trying to push Kaitlin from his mind so he could focus on his job. Fixing his trench coat he made his way to the front door.

Since Renny had showed up at his house the day before the man had not been threatening. Tony may have jumped to conclusions, and well, he had put the guy in prison by mistake, he had to make this right. He stepped up to the door and knocked. After coming to the conclusion that there was a third embezzler and that he was the one setting up Renny, Palmer had been the one to suggest that Tony just swallow his pride and go to Renny for help. He had left instructions with the rest of the team to find the third embezzler and then gone off on his own. Abby was probably going to kill him when she found out, but this was something that he had to do by himself.

Tony knocked on the door. "Renny. NCIS. I want to talk to you." When there was no response, Tony peeked into the window and then a smell hit him square in the face. Smoke.

He kicked the door in, covering his face from the smoke. Stepping inside he found the living room torn apart. And all he could think about was that he had gotten an innocent man killed.

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><p>"DiNozzo," Gibbs said, after watching his SFA breakdown in the squad room when they got back from Renny's. "Campfire."<p>

He didn't wait to see if Tony followed him. He just made his way towards the alcove and waited. Tony was starting to lose his confidence, fall apart, it was time to reign him-let him know he was doing a good job. Like the good, loyal St. Bernard that he was, Tony came around the corner, straightening his suit coat. "Problems?"

Tony glared at him. "No, everything is peachy. Nothing more that I like than putting an innocent man in prison, except of course getting him killed."

"Renny's dead? I hadn't heard that," Gibbs said, softly.

"Listen you can save the pep talk," Tony snapped. "We both know I screwed up-three years ago, nine months ago, I...it's what I do."

Gibbs watched as his SFA's shoulders shrugged and he crossed his arms. "Yeah...you did...three years ago. But you're making it right now. And _you _didn't screw up nine months ago-_I _did."

Tony looked at him puzzled. "How could you have screwed up nine months ago? You weren't apart of making that baby."

"No," Gibbs said with a slightly smile. "But I didn't have your six and you felt alone. What else were you suppose to do?"

"Ziva said I could have called."

"Why didn't you?"

He shrugged. "She seemed happy to be going back to Israel. I forget that that's her home. Not here, not Washington." Tony recalled the look on her face when Gibbs had called him over here. It was almost smug, like an _I-told-you-so _look. He'd been seeing that look a lot from her lately upon her return. He wasn't sure why exactly but he got the impression she was not happy here this time around, that she had left something or _someone _behind. "I'm not sure it would have mattered, boss. I was pretty messed up. "

Gibbs sighed. "You're making good on it, Tony. Both for Kaitlin and for Renny. And...you're making me...proud." He saw Tony's head lift and his eyes light up. "You've been doing... a hell of a job, Anthony. Until about three minutes ago. Get your head on right."

Tony sighed and looked away. "What do you want me to do?"

"Trust your gut."

"Yeah, I'd rather trust yours."

"Yeah? Then give me my damn phone back," Gibbs snapped, getting right up into Tony's face.

It had the desired effect. Tony's eyes filled with understanding and appreciation. He hadn't asked for a pep talk, and Gibbs really hadn't given him one. It was more like a verbal head slap. And it was just what he needed to get his head back into the game. His boss trusted him, was proud of him-believed in him. For him, that was enough.

Abby stepped up to the two men. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. And if I am-I hope someone tells me about later."

Tony didn't break eye-contact with Gibbs, and simply said, "What have you got, Abs?"

"Checking the roadblocks, boss," the former marine said, backing down and walking away.

"Oh, so I was interrupting something."

"Abs. What. Do. You. Got."

Abby smiled and handed him a piece of paper. "Something that is going to make your entire day-and get you home to Katie in time for dinner."

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><p><em>What a day, <em>Tony thought as he parked his car in the Bradley's driveway. He shut the car down and sat there for a moment. Renny night not have murdered anyone, but he sure as hell had done a good job of setting everyone up. And because Tony had felt so guilty for putting him away three years ago, he'd lied to Gibbs at the airport that he missed him.

Tony slowly opened the door to his car and got out. He made his way up the front steps of the house and gently knocked on the door.

"Hello, Anthony," Mrs. Bradley greeted him when she opened the door. "Rough day?"

"You have no idea," Tony sighed stepping into the well decorated craftsman.

Mrs. Bradley reached out and pat him on the arm. "I've been Jethro's neighbor for almost fifteen years. I have _some _idea what a rough day at NCIS pretains. Are you hungry, sweetie?"

Tony looked around anxiously. "I really don't want to burden you anymore than I already have today leaving Kaitlin in your care."

"Nonsense. Kaitlin was wonderful. Ate when I offered her a bottle, napped-she was just a very well tempered baby."

"Are you sure we're talking about the same baby? Because the one I put in the care this morning was a fuss budget."

Mrs. Bradley grinned and pulled him into the house and slammed the door shut. "I discovered that she likes to be sung too. Once I started doing that she settled right in. Now, I've made lasagna for dinner and my husband and I cannot eat it all by ourselves. Kaitlin is asleep, you have plenty of time to eat a meal with us."

Tony smiled at her, softly. He was rather tired and probably wouldn't cook anything once he got home-and lasagna sounded good right about now after the day he'd just had. "Okay, you don't have to twist my arm."

"If I'm going to be your nanny, Anthony, then you best get used to eating here once a week," Mrs. Bradley said.

"Mrs. Bradley, I think...I think you misunderstood...I only need care for these two days."

She looked at him and smiled. "It appears, Anthony, that Jethro has pulled the wool over your eyes. When he asked me to care for the baby, he asked me to be her _permanent _care. Now, I have lots of experience with kids and babies, you have nothing to worry about."

Tony couldn't stop the confounded look that crossed his face. So many emotions washed through him. Relief that he had someone to watch the baby and someone that he trusted, annoyance that Gibbs had gone a head and done this for him, and appreciation that his boss had been looking out for him and for Kaitlin. "Not worried," he said with a smile as he sat down to eat. At least he wasn't worried at the current time. There would be plenty more to worry about later down the road.


	10. Baby's First Ear Infection

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Legend, Part One"

**A/N: **I have updated the story summary to include general warnings. Herel is the next part! Enjoy!

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><p>Two months had come and gone since Kaitlin had come into his life. Tony and the baby had settled into a routine, and when that routine was broken, well Tony was finding it was not a pleasant experience. But that morning, when he got her up, he could tell something was off.<p>

Kaitlin was sick but with no fever the doctor insisted that Tony did not need to bring Kaitlin in to be examined. So, he had stuck to their routine. He had brought the baby to the nanny and gone to work. But Monday night when Tony went to get the baby from the nanny's house he knew that he couldn't ignore what his gut was telling him to do-bring her in to see the doctor. She was screaming, one of her ears as beat red, and the moment he held her he could tell she was running a temperature. He did not need the fancy baby thermometer that Abby had bought to tell him that.

Instead of going home that night, the young father found himself seated in a cold examination room, holding Kaitlin in his arms, and just praying that nothing was seriously wrong with his baby. Kaitlin was exhausted but whatever was ailing her was preventing her from sleeping. She'd fight off her eyelids closing and then let out a sputter cry, almost as if she was asking for Tony to make it better.

Tony's heart broke that his baby was sick. He remembered what it was like to be in the hospital, dying of the plague. And with this memory firmly engrained in his mind as the door opened and the doctor stepped in, he sputtered, "I didn't give my daughter the plague did I?"

"Plague? Mr. DiNozzo, while there are some modern day cases of the plague, I can assure you, this is not what Kaitlin has," Lillian Benson said with a smile.

"No, I don't think you understood me. _I've _had the plague."

"You've had the plague, Mr. DiNozzo?" Benson asked, skeptically. "When?"

He was flashing back to blue lights and soft orders that he was not going to die. "Four years ago, well, almost four years ago."

She looked at him for a moment and simply nodded her head. Tony was completely beside himself. She wasn't taking him seriously. He wasn't lying. He'd been infected with the plague four years ago, nearly died from severe respiratory problems. Ducky had once told him that there was a chance that it could come back someday, a small one, but it was still there. Couldn't there be a chance that he passed the bug onto Kaitlin?

Benson looked in Kaitlin's nose, her ears, felt her throat and listened to her heart and breathing. When she was done she simply smiled at him. "Well, it isn't the plague."

_Is that supposed to make me feel better? _Tony thought sarcastically, even as he asked, "What's wrong with her then?"

"Ear infection. I'll write a prescription for it. She'll be fine in a few days."

"And the fever?"

"Baby Tylenol until it breaks. Start by giving her 1ml. Call me if it gets worse."

Tony gazed down at the fussy baby. When their eyes met she started to cry again. Tony rubbed her cheek with his thumb and numbly nodded his head when the doctor handed him the script to take to the pharmacy. Wrapping the baby back up into her blanket and getting her back in her carrier, exhausted, Tony trudged out of the doctor's office and made his way back to his SUV.

Kaitlin fussed and cried the whole drive to the pharmacy to get her medication. Tony tried to soothe her while he drove, tried singing, but nothing seemed to work. Thankfully, the pharmacist took pity on the sad baby—or maybe him for having to take care of her—but either way, he promised that he would fill the prescription right away. Carrier slung over his arm, Tony went to find the baby Tylenol.

"Do you like cherry or grape?" he asked the baby, in a silly voice, hoping to get her to smile a little. It was pointless. She was in pain and sick and tired. Smiling was not on her agenda.

He grabbed the grape flavored one and made his way back towards the pharmacy desk. Paying for his items, he quickly made his way back out to his car, got the baby secured, and drove off, with Kaitlin screaming in the backseat. When he got home and the baby settled as much as he possible could, he took her temperature again. _103_

Tony felt his heart thunder in his chest. When they had been at the doctor's office it had been 100. Now, in the matter of an hour it had risen three degrees. Panicking he put the baby into the playpen and grabbed his cell phone. Gibbs and McGee had left that afternoon for Los Angles but they should be at the hotel by now and Tony really, really needed his advice. So, he quickly hit the first speed dial on his contact list and waited, impatiently for his boss to answer.

"_Yeah, Gibbs._"

"Boss? I…the baby…she…she's sick. She has a fever and I…I don't know how to give her the medicine!"

"_Relax, Tony. Pain reliever for babies should come with an eyedropper to give her the medicine."_

Tony fumbled about in the bag and found the Tylenol he had picked up. Ripping the box open he found a small eyedropper and instructions on how to give it to his baby. Now, he felt like an idiot for calling his boss. "Oh," he mumbled.

Gibbs chuckled. "_Give her the medicine and check her temperature in an hour."_

"Ok. Boss?"

"_Yeah, DiNozzo?" _

"Thanks."

He hung up the phone with a click and measured out the dosage that Doctor Benson wanted him to give the baby. Scooping her up into his arms, Tony sat down on the sofa and laid Kaitlin on his lap. He gently guided the oral syringe into mouth, and slowly let the medicine out. Kaitlin stopped screaming and swallowed the liquid. He did the same thing with the prescription for her ear infection. She made a face when the prescription went down, but she swallowed it—thankfully. Wiping her mouth with a cloth, Tony nestled her back into his arms and sang an Irish lullaby that his mother used to sing to him when he was little.

Kaitlin whined and fussed, rubbing the tears from her eyes. Tony rocked her gently in his arms. "I know, baby, I know." She finally gave into sleep, snuggling into her father's chest. Tony, not wanting to take a chance of waking her, decided to turn the television on and watch the news, letting the baby nap in his arms.

Tony must have dozed himself because he woke up over two hours later. Slowly he got off the sofa and went to get the thermometer and checked Kaitlin's temperature. He was happy to see that it was no longer 103 and was down to 99. At least the pain medication was working.

With a heavy sigh, Tony put the baby back into her playpen, the prescription into the refrigerator and plopped back down onto the sofa. He was exhausted. Taking care of the baby was tiring when she was not sick, but now that she was sick it was ten times more tiring. He rubbed a hand over his face. Of all the weeks to for half the team to be away, it had to be the one that Kaitlin got sick.

It wasn't her fault after all. But Tony had other problems. Like Ziva. He'd done his best to make the translations from her phone conversations in Hebrew, and what he'd uncovered so far was worrying him. Was it possible that Ziva was keeping secrets from them?

Tomorrow he was just going to have to find out.

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><p>Ziva David noticed the dark circles underneath her partner's eyes when she got off the elevator that morning. Before she had disappeared for lunch with Michael yesterday, she had heard Tony speaking on the phone to Kaitlin's nanny. Apparently the baby was not feeling well and the nanny wanted to know what to do.<p>

She had used the distraction to sneak out. Of course, Tony had eventually noticed she was missing and called her. She had lied to him about what she was doing, but Michael was here for a mission and it was none of Tony's business.

"You look tired this morning," Ziva pointed out, dropping her backpack down near her desk.

"Kaitlin has her first ear infection. We didn't sleep last night," Tony mumbled, downing some coffee.

"Perhaps you should have stayed at home with her."

"Mrs. Bradley came to our house, she's fine."

Ziva took her coat off and glared at him. "If you are exhausted and cannot do your job today then why are you here? You are only endangering me and you."

Tony returned the glare. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize I had to check in with you now if I should be coming into work."

"How can I trust you in this state?"

"I've got your six, if that's what you worried about, Ms. David."

Ziva knew that their relationship had been strained the last two months. Even before the baby had been born he had noticed she was not entirely happy to be home. _You get orders, Tony, and you follow them. _ She didn't lift her heated glare on him. Kaitlin coming into the world had only strained their relationship more. Ziva didn't know what to do with the baby. Everyone else seemed to love her and spent lots of time at Tony's house with her, but Ziva was uncertain. And her reluctance to be apart of Kaitlin's life was obviously upsetting Tony. _He just doesn't understand._

It wouldn't be hard to make him understand but it meant having to dig up more painful memories from her past. She just didn't want to go there and she wasn't sure how much she trusted him at this point. Sure, he was a decent agent but when it came down to it, could she really open up to him about all her secrets? Even if keeping those secrets was destroying whatever type of relationship they had?

Tony sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He opened his mouth to start to apologize but then decided against it. Why should he have to apologize? She had been the one to put up these walls, especially when it came to Kaitlin. She had not been very happy or welcoming to the baby in the first place. He stood and straightened his suit coat. "I'm going for more coffee. Let me know if you hear from Gibbs."

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><p><em>Boss is not going to like this, <em>Tony thought that even as he got into the elevator after speaking with Abby.

Tony knew that he was playing fire, going behind Ziva's back and investigating her. He'd spoken to Ducky, he'd watched the new footage from the bombing over the summer, and he'd had Abby run facial recognition on the man with Ziva. He knew that something was off, and if something was off that meant she didn't have her head completely in the game. He had his suspicions that there was a new man in her life, she was accusing him of being jealous a lot recently when he asked-he was just nosy. And now, he had good reason to be nosy. Her new boyfriend was Mossad and he just couldn't bring himself to ever trust them wholly.

Not after what happened to Kate.

Sighing, when he heard his cellphone ring, he dug it out of his pocket. "DiNozzo."

"_Anthony, I really hate to bother you at work, especially since Jethro is out of town-but Kaitlin really needs her daddy." _

Tony could hear the baby crying, hysterically in the background. He glanced at his watch. "Okay. I'm...I'm almost done here. And then I'll be on my way." He hung up the phone, sent a quick text to Abby that he was leaving for the day and then stepped out of the elevator.

Ziva was at her desk working. Tony eyed her cautiously as he grabbed his gear and shut down his computer. She looked up, startled. "Are you leaving?"

"Nanny called. She's having trouble settling Kaitlin," Tony said, firmly. "Let's call it a day."

"Case isn't closed yet," Ziva pointed out.

Tony raised an eyebrow in her direction. "Do you have a new lead?

Ziva shook her head. "No."

"Then, let's call it a day," Tony repeated, before gathering up his stuff and leaving. He didn't wait for her. He had to get home to his baby.


	11. Suspicions

**Disclaimers:** I do not own the dialogue that is taken from the episode, that belongs to the writers of "Legend, Part Two."

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Legend, Part Two"

**A/N: **Thank you everyone for your kind words :) It gives me warm fuzzies inside. I'm happy that everyone likes the idea of weaving this story through canon. I feel that a lot of Tony as a daddy stories do not do that and I wanted mine to be a bit different. However, not all the events are going to happen _just _as they did in canon. You'll see when I get to "Truth and Consequences".

**kbor- _I love Tony and Kaitlin's relationship too. She is going to be a complete Daddy's Girl. _**

Enjoy this latest update and happy weekend!

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><p>Kaitlin's cries were nothing but hiccuping gasps by the time Tony got home. Mrs. Bradley had done everything she could to calm the baby, but none of her techniques were working.<p>

Tony dropped his gear by the door and went to take his daughter out of the nanny's arms. Resting Kaitlin against his shoulder he rubbed her back, soothingly. "Okay, you're okay. I know...I know it hurts, peanut. But you are not making it any better by screaming like this."

She took a big sigh and then just stopped, snuggling her cheek into Tony's shoulder. Mrs. Bradley smiled at him. "For someone that claimed to have no paternal instinct, you're doing a hell of a job, Anthony."

"We're a work in progress," Tony admitted, smiling at her. He continued to rub Kaitlin's back. "Did she take the medication?"

"I got the prescription down but not the Tylenol. I think that's when she really started to miss you."

"Ah, you hate painkillers as much as I do, huh baby?"

Kaitlin's response was a little hiccup. Tony chuckled as he found her a bottle and went to heat it up. "Thanks for coming over here, Mrs. Bradley. I figured she'd be easy to care for at home rather than your house."

Mrs. Bradley nodded her head and reached for her coat. "I don't mind coming here, Anthony. Besides, I got your laundry done for you and changed the sheets in both your bedroom and the baby's. And young man, you really need to consider going to the grocery store to get food in this house. One cannot live on pizza alone. You take excellent care of your daughter but you need to start taking care of yourself."

"Yes ma'am," Tony replied, with a tender smile. He sat down at the kitchen table and gently shifted Kaitlin in his arms so he could fee her.

"I'm bringing some stew over tomorrow and putting it in the refridgerator. No arguing with me," Mrs. Bradley snapped, good-naturedly.

Tony nodded his head and looked down at the baby while he guided the bottle into her mouth. She locked her eyes, which were starting to change color, onto his and began to drink. At least the ear infection hadn't completely taken away her appetite, but Tony could see that it was clearly exhausting her. It broke his heart thinking about how much pain she was in.

Mrs. Bradley pat him on the shoulder and wished him a good night. He thanked her and listened to the sounds of her leaving before speaking to the baby again. "Guess we both had a rough day, huh?"

Kaitlin eagerly gulped her dinner, eyes intently looking at her father. Tony shifted her slightly again and smiled at her. "Auntie Abby wants to come see you when you get better. Does that sound like fun? Weather is getting nicer maybe we can convince her to go on a picnic with us the park. But it's going to have to wait until Grandpa Gibbs gets back from California. Glad he didn't send me this time, the last time wasn't that great of a trip."

She spit the bottle out signaling she was done and Tony found a nearby receiving cloth to burp her.

"Okay, time for more of your favorite medicine and then bed," Tony told her in a sweet voice. He was thrilled to see she some-what smiled at him. "Aw, you must be feeling a little better, peanut. I saw that smile."

Tony managed to coax her through taking the pain reliever and then carried her upstairs where he changed her into a clean diaper and jammies. He found the blanket that Ducky had given her in the crib and swaddled her in it. Then, he made his way to the rocking chair and sat down. Kaitlin's nighttime routine already consisted of being rocked and sung too and he was not about to mess with that just because she was sick. In fact, she would probably get a little bit longer of a rocking and more songs.

It was the first time, though, tonight, that he sang Sinatra to her. And it got a smile on her face just before she drifted off to sleep. "Huh, who knew you liked Sinatra?" Tony whispered to her as he laid her down in her crib. He kissed her good night and flicked the baby monitor on before he went down stairs.

Yanking off his tie and suit coat he tossed them into the laundry room, feeling slightly guilty since Mrs. Bradley had spent the afternoon tidying it up for him. Exhausted himself he found a beer in the fridge and some leftovers-Mrs. Bradley had snuck in some home made chicken pot pie that he was not aware of until that moment. Heating it up in the microwave, Tony pulled out his cell phone and dialed up Gibbs.

"_Do you need more baby advice, DiNozzo?" _Gibbs snarled on the other end._  
><em>

_Ouch. I interuppted him doing something important. _"Uh, no boss. Kaitlin's still not feeling well...but well, she smiled at me for the first time in days so that, um that has to mean something."

Gibbs paused before letting out a sigh. "_Did you call to tell me that she's feeling better?"_

"No, boss...it's just...it's Ziva," Tony drawled out slowly, taking his dinner out of the microwave. "Something...something isn't right."

"_Yeah? Any idea what?" _Gibbs asked, interest obviously peaked a little._  
><em>

"She hasn't been the same since she came back from Israel. I did a little digging."

"_And?" _

Tony paused when he thought he heard the baby stir on the monitor. She must have settled herself because he didn't hear anything else. Taking a deep breath, he answered, "I had Abby run facial recognition on the man that was with her in Mororco after the bombing. His name is Michael Rivkin-and he's Mossad. We're not sure, exactly when he came to the States or how long he's been here, but he's traveling under the guise of an Israeli banker and he came to Washington three days ago. He left for Los Angeles last night on the red eye."

Gibbs seemed to be processing this himself, and he let clicked his tongue. "_Do you think she's in contact with him?" _

"I think this is her new boyfriend-or at least, that's what she wants us to believe."

"_Tony-this isn't you being jealous is it?" _

"Come on, boss, you too?"

"_Sorry. It's been a long day out here in L.A and it isn't over yet. What's your gut telling you?"_

Tony paused and then set his jaw. "She's keeping secrets from us, boss. And it isn't going to end well for any of us."

* * *

><p>Of course they had been at odds before. No one was perfect and no one got along swimmingly, especially in this line of work. But Tony could sense something different in Ziva's eyes when they made their way into MTAC.<p>

Tony stood dangerously close to her, letting her know he was there just by inserting his physical presence. He knew why Gibbs wanted to have this conference call, McGee had texted him early that morning. Rivkin had been found in a hotel room when Callen went undercover. Mossad was up to something and it had Lara Macy on edge. _She should be on edge. Mossad is responsible for killing Kate. _

_"Ziva," _Gibbs voice filled the room. _  
><em>

"Gibbs," her voice was level, too level.

"_McGee put it up." _

Tony watched as Michael Rivkin's face filled the MTAC screen. He saw Ziva's jaw clench, the muscles tighten, confirming all his suspicions that she knew the true nature of his trip. He settled his eyes on her. Gibbs asked if she recognized the man and she froze, or she just refused to say. Who really knew?

Gibbs was getting testy. "_Ziva!"_

"Yes, I know him. His name is Michael Rivkin."

"_He says he's Mossad."_

Ziva eyes moved about the screen, trying to keep her cool mask in place. "Yes, he is with Mossad."

Macy shouldered her way to the front of the screen. "_Anything else you can tell us, Officer David?"_

_Now's your chance, Ziva, _Tony thought, clenching his fists at his side. _You can come clean and no one is going to get upset at you. _

But she didn't come clean. Instead she lied. "No. I have not worked with him in sometime."

Macy was satisfied with the answer, but Macy didn't know Ziva and she didn't know what Tony had discovered. Perhaps she also didn't know that Tony had informed Gibbs the night before. The team leader wanted to protect his team as much as Tony did. It didn't surprise the SFA that nothing had been said. But, he could see the angry look in Gibbs' eyes. Because the former marine knew she was lying.

"_Ziva, w__e will be talking more about this later."_

_"_Of course."

Tony ran his tongue over his lips as the former marine disappeared from the screen. She didn't say anything to him, instead turned a glare in his direction. "Are you sure there isn't anything else you wanted to tell them?"

Ziva turned on her heel and left him standing there in MTAC even more concerned than before.


	12. Secrets

**Disclaimers:** I do not own the dialogue that is taken from the episode, that belongs to the writers of "Legend, Part Two."

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Legend, Part Two"

**A/N: **I took poetic license with this scene between Tony and Ziva and shifted it to the elevator. I thought it added a more dark feel. And Ziva might seem like a bit OOC, so you've been warned.

I was re-watching Season 1 of _Once Upon a Time. _Baby Emma Swan _is _Baby Kaitlin DiNozzo, all this little baby's facial expressions are exactly how I picture Kaitlin. I wish I could put a photo or clip in here to show everyone.

**lunaz- _by forward I hope you mean you are enjoying it :)_**

* * *

><p>"There...Uncle Timmy is going to like this don't you think?" Abby asked her small charge, putting the finishing touches on her decorating.<p>

"Abs?" Tony questioned when he stepped into the bullpen later that day. "What...what is going on?"

Kaitlin, clad in purple leggings and a pink sweater, was snuggled up against Abby's shoulder and McGee's desk looked more like, well, like a tiki-bar. Abby grinned at him and kissed the baby on her soft head of hair. "Mrs. Bradley had a family emergency. Don't worry-she said that everything is okay, she just had to bring her husband to the ER, guess he broke his ankle. She didn't want to bring a sick baby to the hospital. She tried to get in touch with you but you must have been in MTAC. I was first on your emergency contact list after Gibbs and she knew that he was away so-I picked Katie up and brought her here."

Tony frowned at the baby. Kaitlin had been feeling better that morning but he wasn't sure spending the remainder of the day flaunting around NCIS was the best. "I'll see if the neighbors can come pick her up."

Abby glared at him. "Tony, I'm perfectly capable of doing this. And I have nothing else really to do in my lab. It's a slow day. Otherwise I would have told Mrs. Bradley to call your neighbors. Besides, she helped me decorate McGee's desk. Doesn't it look great? I think he's going to really like it."

"Fine. She can stay for a little while. Get your baby fix in. But I'm going to have the neighbors come get her soon."

"You're no fun now that you're a daddy."

Tony rolled his eyes at her and then looked at her, sternly. "You have an hour and then I'm calling the Browns."

Abby pouted and stuck her lip out. "Can't she just spend the rest of the day with me?"

"No, Abs. One hour. She needs to get home and rest."

Kaitlin smiled at him, quite enjoying her snuggle time with Abby. Actually, she enjoyed time with Abby in general. The goth's highly animated nature was entertaining to her.

Abby was moving out of the bullpen and announced, "We're going to go take a tour."

"Hey!" Tony snapped at her as she made her way to the elevator. "Do not take my daughter down to autopsy! Abby? ABBY!"

"It wouldn't be fair if her visit didn't include Grandpa Ducky," Abby argued with him.

Tony jogged after her. No way in hell was he letting Abby bring his sweet, innocent baby downstairs where all that death was-no way. As he caught up to her and grabbed her by the arm, the elevator doors opened and Ziva crashed into them. She blinked in surprise and stepped back. The sudden, jerky movement made Kaitlin sputter and cry a little.

Abby hushed the baby and looked between the two agents. She could probably cut the tension with a knife.

"Kaitlin is here to visit?" Ziva pointed out, tersely.

"For an hour," Tony countered, coolly. "Her nanny had a family emergency, Abby offered to step in. I'm going to have the neighbors come get her."

"You should just take her home yourself," Ziva responded, glaring slightly at the infant.

Abby clutched Kaitlin protectively in her arms. She wasn't sure why Ziva wasn't warming up to the baby and she certainly hoped that it had nothing to do with all the secrets she was keeping. "We were just going to go see Ducky."

Ziva smiled, tightly. "He would like that, I'm sure."

Tony, shoulders tense and jaw tight, grabbed Ziva by the arm and pushed her back into the elevator. He reached out and pressed the button for the door and they closed in Abby's face.

"It's okay," she told them, "Katie and I will take the stairs."

Abby dashed for the stairs. She quickly climbed down, holding onto Kaitlin tightly, whispering in her ear, "Be glad we aren't in that elevator, baby. Your daddy is mad and when he's mad...just stay clear."

* * *

><p>"Do you have anything you want to say to me?" Tony challenged Ziva immediately after shutting the elevator down. "Go on, I'm listening."<p>

Ziva raised her chin slightly. "Did I miss anything while I was gone?"

Tony shook his head. "No. All the excitement is happening in another area code. Are we...fighting?"

"If we were you would be on the ground bleeding."

"Fair enough. Are you mad at me?"

"You should not be surprised."

"Because of this morning?"

She glared, her brown eyes so dark and threatening that he took a step back instinctively. "You did not think I would identify Michael as a Mossad operative."

Tony clenched his jaw. "I didn't say a word."

Ziva looked away briefly. "You did not have too."

"So you think you did the right thing?" Tony questioned, his voice low, subtly hiding his anger.

"You think I did not."

"Maybe you should have told them more...like how well you know him."

Ziva paused and looked up into his green eyes. She could see the accusations there, his anger. After all this time they had spent together, he was actually had the nerve to do what, exactly? Challenge her motives? Question her loyalty? Or was this just Tony inserting his nose into business that did not concern him like usual. "How _well _do I know him, Tony?"

Tony's eyes narrowed. "You know him better than they think you know him."

She was quickly losing whatever patience she had left and he knew it. He had to, he had to see the dark look in her eyes. "And you know that _how?" _

"Well you saw him when he was in D.C three days ago. And you didn't tell them when you had the chance and I'm just wondering _why, _that's all."

"Are you questioning my loyalty?"

"No," Tony responded, keeping his tone level, cool. "I'm questioning why you didn't tell them you saw him three days ago."

Ziva squared her shoulders. "Are you jealous?" she asked, almost hopefully.

Tony glared. "No. I'm worried, because you don't seem to understand that your secret friend is interfering with this agency's ability to do its job-to shut down a terrorist cell."

"Interfering? How is he possibly interfering?"

"He's already killed two suspects."

"Well, in my country that would be cause for celebration!"

"We're not in your country and neither is he!"

Ziva raised her chin in defiance. "Are you done?"

Tony snarled and placed his body in front of the controls, preventing her from escape. She might know how to disarm but he wasn't such a bad fighter himself, especially when he was angry. "No," he said lowly. "Do you know where we can find him?"

"No."

"If you did, would you tell us?"

"I would tell Gibbs."

Tony took a step closer and once again getting dangerously close to her. "What's with you Ziva? Am I not a good enough partner for you that you don't trust me? We've been working together for almost three years now and suddenly you keep secrets. We're a team, Ziva! We don't keep secrets!"

Ziva scoffed at that, not in the least bothered by him so close to her. "Oh? We don't? How come we didn't hear about Kaitlin until two days after her birth?"

His eyes grew so dark they looked almost black in the dim light of the elevator. "_That _is entirely different. But since you brought the subject up-let's discuss it. Care to tell me why you look at my daughter like she's vile? Like poison that should be avoided? She's two months old, I can't think of what she could have possibly done to you to make her such a hated being in your life."

"Our job is no place to have a family," Ziva snapped. "It was selfish of you."

"Selfish? How the hell is my decision to keep her selfish?"

"Her life will be nothing but violence and pain! Is that what you want for her!"

"Are we talking about Kaitlin or _you _Ziva?"

Ziva shoved him out of the way and hit the emergency switch. The elevator groaned back to life and the doors flung open. She angrily stalked out, her mouth nothing but a thin line and her eyes glazed over. Tony had not been expecting to elicit such an emotional response from her, but perhaps, he was now onto something. Ziva saw herself as a child, saw her father breeding her and her brother to be killers and she was projecting that hatred of what her father had made her onto the baby.

Tony sighed and hit the button to close the doors. He resisted the urge to call Gibbs. The boss was busy dealing with Rivkin and shutting down that terrorist cell. He'd talk to him when he got back. Right now, he had to make sure that Abby kept tabs on the Mossad agent and that he kept tabs on Ziva.


	13. Boiling Point

**Disclaimers:** I do not own dialog taken directly from the show, that belongs to the writers.

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Semper Fidelis"

**A/N:** I am off to a family birthday party but I thought I would post the next installment. I promise once we get through this storyline there will be some fluffy chapters. **Thank you everyone that has taken the time to review, favorite, or follow! **

To the guest reviwer that pointed out that Ziva was getting irritating, I'm writing her the way I felt she was in canon at this point. I apologize if that is ruining the story for you.

* * *

><p>Gibbs heard the front door open and close. He wasn't surprised to see Tony appear in the kitchen. He had been waiting for the SFA to stop by since he had gotten home from Los Angles the day before. However, he was surprised that Tony was alone. He would have thought he would have brought Kaitlin along with him. "Where's the baby?" he asked, softly.<p>

Tony glanced over his shoulder, briefly, before settling a firm look on his boss. "She's still at the Bradley's. I wanted to stop by here before I picked her up."

"Something bothering you, Tony?"

"Everything."

Gibbs put his newspaper down and sighed, silently. Yeah, everything was bothering him too. After leaving Los Angles he was certain that this terrorist cell was not going to go away over night. Someone had to be feeding them funds and information from overseas. And after hearing about what happened to Callen, well, Gibbs had a lot on his mind at the moment. Tony's eyes said it all, though. They were moving fast towards a catalyst and neither of them knew how to stop it.

Tony pulled a chair out and sat down. "Abby checked for me-Rivkin left Los Angles yesterday."

"Headed for Israel?"

"Yes. With a stop over in Washington."

"Son of a bitch," Gibbs cursed. Before leaving California he had made it clear to Rivkin that he had no business here and that Ziva worked for him. Apparently the Mossad operative hadn't taken that to heart. Gibbs took his reading glasses off and tossed them on the table. "He know you're keeping watch on him?"

Tony shook his head. "No. I don't think so. Unless...Ziva says something."

Gibbs glared at his senior field agent. "Tony, be careful. This is Mossad we're dealing with here. I don't want to get a phone call from Vance that you're dead and I now have to find someone to take care of your daughter. Keep that in mind, okay?"

"He's out of control, boss, Rivkin. Vance is in with Director David, isn't he? Shouldn't he be calling to make sure Rivkin is removed?"

"Mossad operates according to their own rules. Vance has to play the diplomat and stay out of it. We did we had to."

"So, now what?"

"Now-you go get Kaitlin and go home. Tomorrow's another day, DiNozzo."

* * *

><p>Kaitlin decided that tomorrow should begin at roughly four in the morning. Tony was happy that the baby was feeling better but he was not happy about such an early morning wake up call.<p>

Taking her downstairs he turned the lights in the kitchen on, situated her in her bouncy chair and then went to make her breakfast. He flipped the television on and used the background noise to keep him awake. The last few days had been taxing on him. He was worried about his partner, worried about what was going to happen to his team if she did indeed keep keeping secrets from them, worried about his daughter's health-just worried period. He'd done all he could with Gibbs. The team leader had told Rivkin to head back to Tel Aviv and to leave Ziva alone, but both their guts were telling them that the Mossad operative was going rogue.

_I've had enough of rogue Mossad agents, _Tony thought glumly as he sat down at the kitchen table with Kaitlin. He guided the bottle into her mouth and watched her for a moment.

Gibbs was right. He needed to becareful. Who was going to take care of Kaitlin if Rivkin did come after him and kill him? He hadn't given that thought much consideration since the baby came into his life. He'd been bogged down and worried about other things. But, seriously, he needed to come up with _something _should he die on the job.

Tony gently stroked the baby's hair while she drank. "Don't worry, peanut. I'm going to make sure you're taken care of, always."

Her little eyes were filled with trust in him. Tony smiled, softly but that smile faded when his phone rang and told him he had a case-at the Secretary of the Navy's house no less. Boy, what a way to start the day at four in the morning.

* * *

><p><em>Boss probably didn't have this in mind when he told me to be more careful, <em>Tony thought as he followed Ziva later that afternoon. But damnit, his gut was telling him that he needed to do this. To protect his team. Rivkin was out of control. He was already responsible for the death of an ICE agent, Tony was not about to stand by and let a member of his team be next.

Ziva was playing with fire. She was being played and she didn't even know it. She thought that Michael loved her. Tony wished he could make her see that he was just using her to cover his tracks. Didn't see she it? Eli David had already sent one out of control Mossad agent to them in the form of Ari and now, now he had sent Rivkin. It was happening all over again. Tony felt sick to his stomach just thinking about where it had ended the last time, with a bullet through Kate's skull. _I'm not gonna let that happen again, Kate. I'm just not._

Yanking out his cell phone he hid in the confines of the restaraunt and called her. She picked up immediately and begin to start that she was _busy. _ Yeah, she was busy, he could see that. Busy lying to him and Gibbs all over again. Was she not listening? So, Tony shut her up quickly by lying right back. "We found Tabal. You need to get back right away."

"_Okay," _she said, sternly and then hanging up. He watched as she said good bye to Rivkin and left.

Tony pursed his lips together and made his way through the cafe, sitting down in the seat that was previously occupied by his partner. He placed a drink onto the table. "Is this seat taken?"

Rivkin paused mid drink and stared at him. Tony could sense immediately that the Mossad operative knew exactly who he was. "This is like the scene in _Heat, _where De Niro and Pacino meet."

"I am De Niro?"

"Alright. You can call me Al, without the singing."

"Have you come to chase her away from me?"

Tony looked away in the direction that Ziva had gone. Chase her away? No. Make sure that she wasn't used? Yes. He looked back at the man sitting next to him, smiling smugly. "You're looking nice and tan. The trip to L.A did you some good."

Rivkin shrugged. "Ziva likes men with darker skin."

"Listen," Tony said, ignoring the jab, "I'm going to cut to the chase here. There's a flight, out of Ronald Regan tomorrow night at 8:25 pm that lands at Ben Gurion the following morning. I want you on it."

"I am not done visiting Ziva."

"NCIS says you are."

Rivkin chuckled. "Ziva is very lucky to have a man like you...almost like a big brother. She has been missing that since Ari died. You can question my feelings for Ziva all you want, but can you question her feelings for me?"

Tony stood and pushed the chair back. "Get on the flight, Rivkin." He was turning to go when the Mossad operative stopped him cold in his tracks with his next few words.

"How is your baby daughter, Agent DiNozzo?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Tony snapped, turning.

"Ziva said she was not feeling well-ear infection. Is she better?"

Tony wasn't sure what was more unnerving. That Rivkin knew about Kaitlin or that he knew about Kaitlin because Ziva had _told _him. It was impossible for Mossad to have that updated information on his file without her doing- wasn't it? She had been the one to provide the files for Ari, why wouldn't she be the one to provide the files for Michael? Suddenly he felt enraged. He clenched his fists at his sides in an attempt to keep himself from punching the smug bastard right in the face, right here in the cafe. "She's better."

Rivkin continued to grin, knowing that his comment had its desired affect. He had told Tony that he knew about Kaitlin and that he was not afraid to use that against him. "Good," he said, with a broad smile, "it is sad when babies are sick. Such a hard thing for any parent to go through I would imagine. Your child hurt or sick. If I had children I would hate for anything to happen to them."

He wasn't stupid, Tony heard the thinly veiled threat. "Do us both a favor, Rivkin," he said through clenched teeth, "get on the damn flight."


	14. Rule Eleven

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Semper Fidelis"

**A/N: **Alright, here we go. Buckle up because things are about to get bumpy ;) And I know that McGee has not been in this story that much, yet, but he's going to be making more appearances after the Ziva/Rivkin storyline is wrapped.

**NCIS Fan, _thanks for your review. I didn't take your remarks as anything against my writing. I understand that this arc has a love/hate relationship with the fans haha. I always hated how Ziva kept secrets but would get mad when secrets were kept from her and talk about how the team shouldn't be keeping secrets. Again, the writers really messed up her character, which is sad because the character had a lot of potential and room to grow. I am not sure whether Ziva is going to return to the team or not after this, but if she does it isn't going to be as easy for her in my story as it was in canon._**

BTW, it's a day early, but happy 250th episode NCIS! :)

* * *

><p>Tony had walked on eggshells the rest of the day. Not only had his confrontation with Rivkin rattled him, but his fight with Ziva afterwards had only added to the stress. Now, to add to all the problems he was facing-Abin Tabal had been found dead. Ducky had ruled it a suicide but that was too clean for Tony. Rivkin was responsible. He just couldn't confront him about it. The Mossad operative had made sure of that when he threatened Kaitlin.<p>

Rubbing a hand over his face, he stepped out of the elevator and made his way back to his desk. This had been the latest he'd stayed at work since Kaitlin had been born and he was finding it extremely difficult. He wanted to be at home, with her and not here doing endless amounts of paper work.

Exhausted he sat down and got to work, ignoring Ziva's death glares in his direction. He could confront her again-let her know that her _friend _had threatened his three month old daughter but he figured at this point it would fall on deaf ears. So, the only time he looked up was when McGee left with the ICE agent, Jules, and said "good night" to him. Even then it was just a simple smile and wave in their direction and then he went back to work.

"Hey," Gibbs said, reaching over the cubicle wall and gently smacking him on the back of the head, "What are you doing here?"

"Finishing up this paper work boss," Tony mumbled. "Don't want to get too far behind."

"Go home," Gibbs ordered, he gestured towards Ziva, "both of you."

Tony looked up and watched as his partner gathered up her things. She left without so much as a good night. He narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that she was probably going to see Rivkin.

Gibbs smacked him again to get his attention. "Hey. Talk to me."

"Don't like how this case wrapped, boss. Too clean."

"You have some other theory for us, DiNutso?" Fornell asked, grinning at him slightly.

"Yeah," Tony said, locking his eyes with Gibbs. "Rivkin's still in town. Probably with Ziva."

Gibbs jaw tightened. He'd told the Mossad operative to leave in Los Angles. The fact that he ignored him irked him. He also knew that Tony had managed to track Rivkin down earlier that day. The SFA didn't have to tell Gibbs that, but it was the only logical reason for his disappearance around lunch time.

Fornell glanced between the two. "Is this the Mossad agent that killed those two suspects in L.A?"

Tony nodded his head. "Yes. I'm worried boss. I'm worried that Ziva's being played. I told him to get out of town, even told him what flight to take. And I know, rule eleven, when the job's done, walk away. But it's not done and I can't walk away. At the same time I _have _to walk away."

"Rivkin say something to you when you say him?" Gibbs asked, low in his throat. "He threaten you?"

"Kaitlin...he vaguely threatened Kaitlin but I knew what it was," Tony said, jaw clenching. "He forced my hand to stay out of it."

Gibbs moved towards his desk and went to find his weapon. He threw his coat on and clipped his badge. When he turned he saw Tony, standing there, inches from him.

Tony closed in on his boss. He very rarely did this but the boss had to be stopped-before he did something stupid. "Boss...don't."

"Don't?" Gibbs snapped. "Rivkin threatened _you _and Kaitlin. He wants to make threats, he should be threatening me."

"What are you going to do? Go over there guns blazing?" Tony snapped. "IA will all over you like bees on honey."

"As much as I hate to admit this-DiNozzo's right," Fornell piped up.

Gibbs shifted his glare between Tony and Fornell. "Then what would you two have me do?"

Abby chose that moment to rush into the bullpen, a worried expression on her face. "Gibbs! We have a huge problem! I mean bigger than the one we've been dealing with the last few days. I was looking into Tabal's laptop, while it was completely wiped, he did not erase the network connections, so we can still figure out where he was when he was connected to the internet."

"Spit it out, Abs."

"One of the places was Ziva's apartment."

Gibbs nearly shoved Tony out of the way. "Looks like I have my reason for going to get Rivkin, Tobias."

Fornell rolled his eyes and looked at Tony for a moment, then with a sigh he followed, "Someone has to make sure he doesn't kill the guy."

* * *

><p>Ziva was surprised when she opened the door and found both Gibbs and Fornell standing there. The former marine had a tight scowl on his face and she could see the anger flicking in his blue eyes. "Gibbs? Is something wrong?"<p>

Gibbs shouldered his way into the apartment, Fornell following silently behind him. "You spoken to Officer Rivkin today, Ziva?"

"Michael?" she asked, her jaw tightening, "Listen I do not know what lies Tony has been telling you-but Michael is here on business."

"Does his business have something to do with taking out a terrorist cell, Officer David?" Fornell asked, raising one eyebrow.

Ziva clenched her fists at her sides. "I do not know the nature of his business here. He did not tell me and I did not feel the need to ask him. If it was something that I needed to know then I am sure he would have told me."

Gibbs glanced around the apartment. There were obvious signs that someone was staying with her. Empty alcohol glasses, empty liquor bottles and a duffel bag was near the door. Tony's gut had been right-Rivkin was still in town. He looked back at Ziva, who was avoiding all eye contact with him. "Where's Rivkin now?"

"I do not know," Ziva responded. "I came home and he was not here."

"You call him?"

"Yes. He did not answer."

Gibbs found a piece of paper and handed it to her. "Write his number down," he ordered. When she didn't do it right away, he snapped his fingers at her, and shouted, "Damn it, Ziva! Write his number down!"

Ziva glared at him and quickly scrawled the number onto the piece of paper. She handed it to Gibbs. He pulled out his cell and walked away, quickly dialing up Abby.

Fornell watched him for a moment, before asking, "Can you explain to us why Tabal's laptop connected here-in your apartment?"

"No. I did not see the laptop until today-when we recovered it," Ziva answered, coolly.

"Of course, there's always the possibility that Tabal hacked you internet connection. Guess we'll never fully know since he's dead."

"I guess not."

Gibbs turned on his heel then, snapping his phone shut. He reached out and grabbed Ziva roughly by the arm. "When was the last time you talked to Rivkin, Ziva? Don't lie to me!"

Ziva blinked, surprised by her treatment in him. "The last time I spoke to him was at lunch. I have not seen or talked to him since."

"Jethro, what's going on?"

"What's going on is that Abby traced Rivkin's cell-to Alexandria."

Fornell as now confused. "Why the hell is out in Alexandria? What's out there that he could possibly be interested in?"

Gibbs glared at Ziva. "Tony."

* * *

><p>"Here we go," Tony said, gently laying Kaitlin down into her playpen. "You have ten minutes to play and then bed."<p>

Kaitlin smiled up at him, her little eyes sparkling while her father handed her a plush rattle that she immediately began to shake.

Tony chuckled and smoothed her hair back. He shrugged out of his blazer and tossed it on the nearby easy chair. Turning the television on he was in the process of finding something to watch when he felt a dangerous presence in the house with him. Yanking his weapon from its holster, he slowly made his way into the hall. He was startled when his SIG was kicked out of his hand and he watched almost helplessly as it went sliding down the hall towards the kitchen.

"You should have stayed out of it, Agent DiNozzo," Rivkin's voice sneered. "You are now a liability that needs to be taken care of."

Fight or flight kicked in. Tony threw a quick upper cut, hitting the Israeli in the jaw and stunning him. He dashed for his weapon, but Rivkin was going for the weapon also. He wouldn't have been dumb enough to come here and kill Tony with _his _weapon, that could be traced back to him-no he was going to use Tony's gun to do the deed and probably make it look like a suicide. Tony threw himself at the Kidon assassin then, trying to take him down.

But he was fast and trained to fight. Rivkin easily absorbed the tackle and the two struggled, grappling and exchange furious blows, kicking the SIG now towards the front door.

Tony managed to free himself and go for the weapon, using the closet door as one in itself by throwing it at Rivkin's face.

It only halted the assassin temporarily. He grasped Tony's arm so tightly and twisted him into a headlock quickly that the bone snapped. Tony couldn't stop the cry of pain that came from his lips as Rivkin's arm tightened around his neck. Tony struggled against the vice like grip the intruder had on him, using every ounce of training that Gibbs had put him through the last eight years to fight him off.

Rivkin was almost taking pleasure in this, from the tiny, feral chuckle that emmanated from his mouth while Tony struggled to breathe. Alcohol could clearly be smelled on his breath and Tony briefly wondered if this was an act of violent rage or orders from Director David-either way, Ziva's remark the other day that Kaitlin's life was going to be filled with violence and pain had suddenly come to light.

Just thinking about his daughter gave him the will to fight harder and Tony used all his strength to throw both himself and Rivkin into the wall. The impact with the solid structure sent the pair flying, crashing into the end table which contained photo frames and a lamp. Everything went toppling to the floor in a loud crash, the table snapped and crumbled underneath the weight of the two men. Tony felt the death grip loosen on his neck and gasping was able to break free. The ruckus had finally startled Kaitlin and she let out a terrified scream from the living room.

Propelled by this, Tony crawled for the gun, in the threshold of the living room, grasped it in his good hand, and rolled over.

Rivkin was standing. He'd pulled a knife. His dark eyes were filled with chaos, rage, and he grinned, wickedly, and advanced.

Tony knew where he was planning on lodging that knife—his heart. "Don't do it," he warned. "Rivkin! Don't!"

For a second it appeared that the assassin was going to back down and then, with that same, sickening smile, he kept moving towards Tony. It would have only taken one shot to bring Rivkin down, but Tony pumped four bullets into his chest to make sure of the kill. The man pitched forward and fell face first onto the floor.

Kaitlin was really screaming now. Loud. Scared. Tony still trying to catch his breath laid there for a moment, but only a moment because the front door kicked open and he was pointing his weapon-at Gibbs and Fornell.


	15. Internal Affairs

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Alyiah"

**A/N: **I never meant for this story to get so dark. Don't worry, we're going to get back to some fluffy Daddy DiNozzo before that trip to Somalia happens. Eugene Coyle is not my creation, he actually belongs to CBS and the writers. I just borrowed him since he's with IA. To me, when I watch, I feel like he has some history with the team, so...that's why I used him. And I love the bow ties. LOL

Personally, I liked the 250th. Great team dynamic. But, I'm kind of done with the whining that Ziva needs to be mentioned in every episode of Season 11. It's getting ridiculous people. If that's the only reason you're watching for the chance the characters might say her name I think it _might _be time to find a new show. Just sayin'.

**Thank you everyone who took the time to review! I know that I did not get to respond to each of you personally, but you thoughts are very much appreciated!**

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><p>Gibbs had quite possibly never driven so fast in his life. Actually, Fornell was pretty certain he had never seen his friend drive this fast. Of course he didn't blame him. As much as he liked to ruffle DiNozzo's feathers, he could see why Gibbs liked the kid so much. Now, as the tires squealed through the streets of Washington, Fornell found himself praying right along with the former marine that they made it to DiNozzo's home in time.<p>

When the Charger pulled into Tony's driveway, Gibbs threw it into park so hard that Fornell pitched forward and almost slammed his head into the windshield.

As the two leapt from the sedan, sounds of a struggle inside the house could be heard. Gibbs, SIG in his hand, was vaulting up the front steps as four gunshots shattered the peaceful silence of Tony's Alexandria neighborhood. Heart thundering in his chest, the team leader burst through the front door gun drawn, expecting the worst.

Kaitlin was screaming and Tony was laying on his side by the door, breathing heavily, gun pointed at a prone Rivkin, which swiftly came around and pointed at Gibbs when the team leader burst onto the scene. Tony's face softened somewhat when he saw his boss, but not a whole lot. Gibbs didn't blame him once he fully took in the scene. A wooden table was in pieces in the hall, there were signs of an intense fight, including broken picture frames and a lamp and a knife near the Mossad agent's hand.

"Damn it," Fornell cursed under his breath, alerting Gibbs that he had burst onto the scene with him. "What a mess."

"DiNozzo, you okay?" Gibbs asked, moving towards the fallen Mossad operative. He kicked the knife away and holstered his weapon.

"F-fine boss," Tony answered, painfully. "Think...think my arm's broken."

Gibbs rolled the Mossad operative onto his back and pressed his fingers to find a pulse. "Tobias, call for an ambulance-NOW."

Fornell pulled his phone out and quickly dialed _911, _even though sirens could already be heard in the distance. Gunshots being fired in this neighborhood would have surely flooded the lines. He sighed and reported the incident, giving the dispatcher the location. He snapped it shut and reported, "Ambulance is on the way."

Tony struggled to his feet, hissing when the intense pain shot up his entire body. "Boss...I...I had to do it."

"Don't you even start to blame yourself, DiNozzo!" Gibbs barked, jumping back from Rivkin's dead body. He glared at his SFA, trying to drive the point home that this was not his fault. Rivkin had attacked him, had threatened him and his daughter. How could he blame himself with Kaitlin screaming in terror in the other room. "Tony...get the baby."

"R-right," Tony stuttered, moving into the living room. He managed to use his good arm and ease her out of the play pen, snuggling her safely against him. She settled immediately, rubbing her tear-stained cheeks into his shirt.

"Alexandria, PD," a voice called out. "We got a report of shots fired."

Fornell held out his badge. "Agent Fornell, FBI. We'll be taking over this case."

The officer glanced at Gibbs, standing with in front of the body, and then looked up at Fornell. "Of course, sir. Anything I can do?"

"Uh-huh. Take Agent DiNozzo and his daughter to the hospital," Fornell said, nodding towards Tony. "And then directly to NCIS."

"Yes sir," the officer said, starting to head back out to his cruiser.

Tony looked torn. Like he shouldn't go just yet. "Boss..."

Gibbs looked up and sighed at the remorseful look in the younger man's eyes. Slowly he moved towards Tony and reached out to grasp his good shoulder. He shook him for good measure. "It was justifiable, Tony. You were defending yourself and your daughter. Now go to the hospital. Everything's going to be fine, you'll see."

* * *

><p>McGee had actually gone to bed early when his phone rang. He wasn't surprised that it was Gibbs, after all it usually was only the boss that called him that late. He was surprised that he had to go over to Ziva's apartment and pick her up. He was ordered to escort her to NCIS and not leave her without an escort.<p>

When he arrived she didn't seem surprised to see him and he assumed that Gibbs had called her. As they were leaving the FBI showed up, touting warrants to search her place. McGee didn't know what was going on, but something had gone down while he was sleeping.

It wasn't until he learned that Michael Rivkin was dead and he was told he was bringing Ziva back to NCIS for questioning that McGee was made aware of what was going on.

Gibbs wasn't happy. Rivkin had gone to Tony's house with the intent to kill him. Tony had shot the Mossad officer in self-defense, killing him. FBI was in charge of investigating but once McGee dropped Ziva off in the interrogation room, Internal Affairs asked him to look into her laptop with Abby. What they found made him sick to his stomach. He felt even sicker when he called the FBI and reported what they had found and they could collaborate his findings.

Everything was a mess. Abby was nearly in tears. McGee had to keep assuring her that both Tony-and Kaitlin-were fine. He knew she wasn't going to stop though until she actually saw Tony.

It was close to one in the morning by the time they saw Tony. Kaitln was snuggled into his good arm, whining, and his left arm was in a sling, obviously broken in the fight.

"Oh my God! Tony!" Abby cried when she saw him. She lunged at him, engulfing him and Kaitlin into a hug.

"Abs. We're fine," Tony whispered, pulling away. Kaitlin looked at Abby for a moment before starting to cry-again. "Just...we're tired."

Abby quickly pulled him by the arm and went to set up her futon. "You and Katie can crash here. I promise McGee and I won't make too much noise while we work."

Tony looked down at the futon and then at the crying baby in his arms, or well, his _arm. _"Vance wants me to write up my report. FBI needs it for the investigation. Gibbs said he was going to bring the baby's things over. He went...he went home to change. Can you...can you watch her while I go work on that report?"

"Of course," Abby said. She then gently took Kaitlin out of his arms. This made the baby angrier.

"Hopefully she'll go to sleep soon," Tony sighed before giving Kaitlin a quick kiss and heading upstairs.

Abby rested the baby against her shoulder, letting her snuggle against her. She pulled the blanket that Kaitlin was wrapped in tightly around her small body and went to stand next to McGee. "Poor baby. You've had a rough night. Someone breaking into your home and trying to hurt your daddy-good thing your daddy is a great agent. He never would have let that awful man hurt you."

McGee frowned, slightly. "Do you think Rivkin acted on his own?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was he ordered to kill, Tony? Or did he go rogue, like Ari?"

Abby rubbed circles on Kaitlin's back, finally getting her to stop crying. She didn't like the sound of either situation because it could mean that Tony-and little Kaitlin were still in danger.

* * *

><p>Eugene Coyle opened the door to interrogation and spotted his subject pacing. "Officer David, I am sorry to keep you waiting."<p>

"Why am I here?" Ziva snapped. Upon arriving at NCIS, she had been asked to wait in interrogation. She wasn't sure why. Yes, she had been loud and demanding when she found out that Michael had been shot, and yes she had wanted an IA investigation into that shooting. But did that warrant such treatment of her? "I have done nothing wrong. Tony is the one that should be in here! He's the one that killed Michael!"

Coyle opened the file in his hand and looked down at the paper. "_Officer Rivkin took me by surprise in my hall. Knocking my weapon from my grasp. We struggled for it. During which point, Officer Rivkin had me in a choke hold and I threw myself into the wall to disarm him. We both fell into a wooden table, breaking it and the contents on it. He was disoriented and I was able to crawl for my weapon. I was laying on the floor to the entrance of the living room. Officer Rivkin stood, pulled out a knife and approached me. I warned him, twice, not to do so. When he did not stop his advance, I fired, putting four rounds into his chest."_

Ziva stood there in silence. Tony's report was cold, calculating. She knew that was not the case. It couldn't be. Michael had told her that he was going out for a walk before Gibbs and Fornell showed up. When they had located him by his cell in Alexandria she did not possibly think he had gone out there. She had been shocked when she got the phone call that he had been shot and killed. "Michael did not go there to kill him. He went there to talk to him! Agent DiNozzo is lying!"_ He has to be lying. It just cannot be possible that someone else that I love betrayed my trust._

"Doctor Mallard's autopsy report confirms Agent DiNozzo's account of events," Coyle said. "Please, Officer David sit down."

"Michael would not do this," Ziva snapped, sitting down. "Tony should not have been sticking his nose where it did not belong."

Coyle frowned at her. "Yes. I've read your report that Agent DiNozzo was snooping around, and harassing you and Officer Rivkin because he was jealous. I am trying to find evidence to what he exactly was jealous of. It does not seem to me that Agent DiNozzo, or yourself, for that matter, have any kind of romantic relationship. Perhaps...you want one?"

Ziva scoffed. "He could not stand that I was seeing someone. If he had wanted to meet him all he had to do was ask."

"According to Agent McGee, when Agent DiNozzo returned from the _Seahawk _he did seem interested in wanting to learn more about him," Coyle said, "You on the other hand did not seem so happy to oblige. You can see...where our concerns are, can you Officer David? This behavior makes it look like you have something to hide. And accusations that this happened because Agent DiNozzo was jealous are...far fetched in the matter at hand. If anything, Officer Rivkin's actions make him look like the jealous one."

"I do not have anything to hide. I told Gibbs everything that he needed to know when they were in Los Angeles."

"What about Abin Tabal's laptop using the internet connection in your apartment? Did you tell him about that?"

"No! Because I did not know about it until Gibbs and Agent Fornell showed up at my apartment last night!"

"Were you aware that Officer Rivkin killed two suspects in Los Angles? And that Agent Gibbs asked him to return to Israel?"

"Yes. I was aware that Agent Gibbs asked him to leave."

"Then why didn't you tell Michael to leave after learning that _both_ Agent Gibbs and Agent DiNozzo asked him to return to Israel?"

Ziva just glared. She was going to refuse to answer that question. Instead, she countered, "Am I the one under investigation?"

Coyle flipped through the file once more. This time he pulled out a photograph and put it on the table. "I'm just wondering, Officer David, how exactly did Officer Rivkin know where to find Agent DiNozzo's house?"

On the table was Tony's house in a photograph, his Jeep parked out front, and Tony himself getting out of the car with the baby, staring back at her. She had never seen it before, the photograph that is, she had been to his house-once-when they had thrown the surprise party for Kaitlin's homecoming. Coyle was looking at her, suspiciously. "Officer David?" he asked, sliding another photograph out. It was one of Kaitlin, sitting in a stroller at a park, an older woman playing peek-a-boo with her. "We found these photographs on your computer. Did Officer Rivkin have access to your computer?"

"Yes," she whispered. "He did."

"Did you have any knowledge that Officer Rivkin was following Agent DiNozzo and his daughter?"

"No."

"Did you speak about Agent DiNozzo and his daughter to Officer Rivkin?"

Ziva felt her entire body go stiff. "Yes. When the baby was sick. We spoke on the phone...I told him that Kaitlin was not...was not feeling well."

Coyle gathered the photos up and shoved them back into the folder, just as the door to interrogation flew open. Gibbs stood there, glaring at the woman. "Ah, Agent Gibbs. We were just finishing up. I sent Ms. David's laptop down to the lab for further analysis to make sure the photographs that the FBI found on Officer's Rivkin's computer were not faked. The files are as they appear to be on 's computer. Unfortunately, with Officer Rivkin dead, we cannot collaborate if Officer David played a _knowingly _willing part. However, she will be put under a probationary period. We're going to keep an eye on her."

Gibbs scowled. "Won't be necessary. She's going back to Israel."


	16. Loyalty and Lies

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Alyiah" (Would they be considered spoilers since we've gone a bit off script?)

**A/N: **Ready for some more? I'm glad that everyone has liked where this story is going so far. I'm having a lot of fun writing it. I haven't quite decided what is going to happen beyond this point. Feedback is always appreciated :) **Thank you for all your reviews , favorites, and follows! You guys rock!**

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><p>Kaitlin was crying. And McGee was all alone in the lab.<p>

Abby had gone to get a Caf-Pow and coffee, and some pastries for breakfast. When she left the baby had been sleeping and McGee had been fine watching her-as long as she stayed asleep. Of course as luck would have it, she woke up and she woke up crying.

"Hey, it's okay, Kaitlin," McGee tried soothing her in the sing-song tone that Tony used with her. "Daddy and Auntie Abby will be back."

"McGee," Gibbs said coming into the room with Fornell behind him. "She wants someone to hold her."

Effortlessly the team leader got the infant out of her car seat and snuggled her into his arms. Gibbs rubbed her back as she rested her small head on his shoulder. He felt her little body ease in his arms and it made him heart sick that this small baby was so tense. Not that he didn't blame her. Tony had once mentioned that she was not one to handle change in the routine and having a man attack her father, sending him to the hospital and into hiding for the time being, was definitely a wrench in her routine. "Alright, you're alright Kaitlin. She been fed McGee?"

McGee nodded. "Yeah, about an hour ago. She was sleeping. Guess I woke her up."

Fornell grinned, cheekily at the infant, "Even the miniature DiNozzo is giving the probie trouble."

"Do you have anything for us?" Gibbs asked, tossing the FBI agent a little mock glare. "IA just finished talking to Ziva."

"Well, we found lots of photographs of Tony and Kaitlin," McGee replied with a sigh. "It looks like he was following them for a while."

Gibbs hugged Kaitlin a little bit tighter. Rivkin could have harmed the baby at anytime. This revelation was frightening. Things could have been so much worse for his team-his family. Rivkin had the knowledge, the means to make both Kaitlin and Tony disappear forever. Now, the former marine just had to make sure that Mossad wasn't behind this attempted murder, because if they were, he was going to do everything in his power to protect Tony and Kaitlin. "Anything on Tabal?"

McGee nodded again. "Yeah. There were emails sent to his computer. We also found that Tabal's laptop connected at Ziva's apartment and that Rivkin's prints were on it."

Fornell stepped forward. "Wow. You two were busy."

"It was the only thing keeping Kaitlin entertained and not crying-Abby being animated about her work," McGee sighed.

"You sound exhausted, McGee,"Gibbs said.

"Apparently the DiNozzos' do that to me."

"Can we get back on track, gentleman?" Fornell quipped. "Did you and Abby get a chance to look at Rivkin's phone records yet?"

McGee frowned. "Yes. And he was using burn phones. No trace."

"Damn. Well, guess we shouldn't be surprised," Fornell said with a shrug. "Man was Mossad after all."

"We did find something interesting though when we looked into Ziva's records," McGee said.

"Yeah? What?"

"Mossad was in contact with someone in that apartment. We just can't be sure who."

Gibbs slid the baby into McGee's unsuspecting arms. Kaitlin immediately protested and McGee wasn't sure what to do as his boss blew out of the lab, snapping, "There's only one way to find out."

* * *

><p>Tony could feel the warmth of the sun on his back as he sat, alone, in the conference room. He was exhausted. His arm was killing him and he just wanted to see his daughter. But Vance had sequestered him in this room and told him to stay there until further notice.<p>

He just wanted to go home, but that was a crime scene being investigated by the FBI.

Speaking of the FBI, the door opened and Fornell stepped in, followed by Vance. The Director closed the door behind him and looked at the SFA remorsefully. Tony was stunned. Was Leon Vance actually on _his _side?

"You've created quite a mess for the FBI, DiNozzo," Fornell said taking a seat at the table. "But, it's one that can be cleaned up."

"When can I go home?" Tony asked, tiredly.

"Not for a few days. FBI is still processing the scene," Vance said. "And we aren't entirely sure you're safe there."

Tony's eyes shot up. He'd been under the impression that Rivkin was acting alone. Had the Mossad agent been under orders from higher-ups to take him out? Was Ziva involved somehow? His heart pounded in his chest. "What...what do you mean?"

Vance sat down next to Fornell and folded his hands in front of him. "There is a possibility that this was an ordered hit."

Fornell could see the turmoil playing out in Tony's eyes. "NCIS and the FBI have agreed to have a joint investigation on this. We're going to get to the bottom of this. Promise, Tony. And we're going to make sure that you and Kaitlin are safe. Internal Affairs has suggested a probationary period for Officer David-."

"Probationary period!" Tony shouted, jumping back from the table and glaring at Fornell. "That's it!"

"DiNozzo! Sit down!" Gibbs snapped coming into the room. "You didn't let Tobias finish!"

Tony sheepishly sat back down, flopping in defeat into the chair. "Sorry, boss," he mumbled.

Gibbs frowned at him. "Yes, IA suggested a probationary period. But that wasn't good enough-not for me. Regardless of what level of involvement she had-she lied to me, to you, to this agency and it almost cost you your life. I can't have that on my team. I suggested that she be shipped back to Israel."

"Boss, you can do that?" Tony inquired softly.

"No," Vance said, "but I can."

Tony swallowed the bile that had risen in his throat. "We're positive she was involved?"

Vance narrowed his eyes on the SFA. "We have enough to be concerned that her loyalties are not necessarily with NCIS. My job is to maintain the intergrity of this agency and I'm not sure keeping Ziva around is in our best interests at this point. I will be speaking with Eli David later today, but I terminated the position once-I can do it again. Gibbs and McGee will be escorting Ms. David to the airport later today."

Gibbs looked at Tony, gently, "It's for the best, Tony."

Tony fell silent. There was a small part of him felt like he was at fault. He thought he was protecting her by going to Gibbs and letting him know what was going on. He couldn't help but wonder if he had kept his mouth shut if things would have gone differently.

Gibbs suddenly smacked him, gently on the back of the head. "Wipe that guilty look off your face. You did nothing wrong."

"S-sorry boss, I'm really tired," Tony whispered. "I just...I just want to go home."

"You and Kaitlin are being put into protective custody," Fornell stated.

"Protective custody? Really?"

"Yes. Really." Vance said firmly. "Until this whole mess is sorted out."

Fornell agreed with him. "It shouldn't take more than a few days."

Tony glared at him. "Great. Which one of your agents do I get to annoy, Toby?"

Gibbs smiled and pointed to himself. "Me."


	17. Helpless

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Alyiah" and "Heartland"

**A/N: **Time for Ziva to go back to Israel...for now at least, and Tony and Kaitlin to be taken someplace safe with Gibbs.

**RW-_no Ziva is not getting off the hook this time_**

**Maccie- _this was my entire problem with this whole storyline, if she was supposedly so loyal to Gibbs, why didn't she tell him anything? Vance has to be on his agent's side this time-his agent was attacked in his own home, it would look poorly on him if he didn't support Tony-plus I think he knows that Eli is playing all of them._**

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><p>Ziva was exhausted. She had been interrogated by IA, the FBI and Vance. All leading to the same conclusion-she withheld information from NCIS that put Tony and his daughter in danger. They all told her she probably deserved to go to prison but since they were having trouble figuring out who Eli David was communicating with in her apartment, they were settling for sending her back to Israel.<p>

Her position at NCIS was being terminated. She just wished she could get the chance to explain herself to the rest of the team. McGee had barely spoken to her when he drove her to NCIS and she had not seen Abby. She could only imagine how angry the scientist probably was. Tony and Abby had a special bond, sibling like, and when one or the other was in trouble, well, you didn't want to get in their way. Ziva was beginning to understand this more now that she was in trouble.

"Officer David," Tobias Fornell greeted when he came into the room, slight smirk on his face. "I trust the agents have fed you."

"Yes," she whispered not bother to look up at him, "I have had lunch."

"Good. Then we can continue."

"Continue? I've told you everything!"

"No," Gibbs said charging into the room and slamming the door shut. "You haven't."

Ziva visibly shrunk in her chair. Gibbs was angry. She had always known that Tony was his _favorite _so to speak. The two agents had worked together for some time and the former marine felt a fatherly bond with the younger cop. But she thought she had meant something to him too. "Are Tony and the baby okay?"

Gibbs glared at her. "Oh, _now _you ask?"

"I never...I never wanted Kaitlin to be harmed, Gibbs! You have to believe that! She is just a baby!"

"Your father call you at your apartment?"

Ziva shook her head. "I have not spoken to my father in months. Michael...Michael was the one that told me he sent his love."

Fornell eyed Gibbs for a moment. "You called Amit Hadar the night of the shooting-why?"

"Have you pulled my phone records?"

"Yes. Standard procedure in this investigation. Answer the question, Ms. David."

"Yes. I called Officer Hadar."

"Why?"

Ziva's dark eyes darted about the room. "I...I wanted him to get Michael out. He was...he was out of control. Someone...someone was about to be hurt and I...Hadar would have been the one to get him out! He was Michael's handler!"

Gibbs fists balled up tightly at his sides. "Like you were Ari's?"

Fornell watched the silent communication that went between the two. He couldn't begin to translate it, nor did he want to try, however the stricken similarities in the situation were, well, they were frightening. "Was Officer Hadar aware that Michael was involved in an investigation?"

"It did not sound like it."

"And if your father had known you called to have him removed?"

"He would have ordered Michael back to Tel Aviv."

"So, Officer David, why didn't you call your father _first_?"

Ziva shook her head. She wasn't sure why, perhaps she was afraid of the truth, that her father really had sent Michael there to play her, to gain her trust only to throw that trust in her face when he got caught by NCIS in Los Angles. It just hurt too much to think about.

Fornell was standing. "Agent Gibbs and Agent McGee will be escorting you to the air field. NCIS had arranged transportation for you and Officer's Rivkin's body. You're going home, Officer David. NCIS thanks you for your service."

* * *

><p>"Abby," Tony whimpered, "I...I need your help."<p>

"Here, give me the baby," Abby said taking the fussy infant from his arms and the bottle. "I'll feed her."

Tony looked dejected. He couldn't even feed his daughter. It hurt his left arm too much to put the bottle into her mouth. Sure, he could put her in the car seat and feed her that way, but he liked how she looked at him when he fed her. "I suck at this, Abs."

Abby flashed him a glare. "Suck at what, Tony? It's hard to feed her with one good arm. Don't worry your arm will heal and everything will get back to normal."

He scoffed. "Normal. What the hell is normal? Eli David might have put a hit out on me!"

"Don't worry, Tony. Director Vance is going to smooth this over," Abby assured him. "And Gibbs is going to make sure you're both safe."

"I backed off, Abby. I backed off like he knew I would once he threatened my daughter," Tony lamented shaking his head.

Abby finished feeding Kaitlin her lunch and gently put her back in her car seat, securing the straps around her. She tucked her blanket around her little legs and turned towards Tony. "Listen to me, Tony. Rivkin was out of control. We both know that. There was nothing else you could have done. You were trying to protect Ziva and the team and when he came at you in your home you were trying to protect Katie. Stop trying to blame yourself. Ziva had plenty of chances to speak up and she didn't."

Tony flopped helplessly into a chair. It rolled back slightly from the impact of his weight. "I know. Fornell was right I've created a big mess. Maybe I just need to learn to keep my nose out of other people's business."

"Nope. That's what makes you a good investigator," Gibbs said coming into the lab. "Come on, let's go. You need to pack."

"Pack? I have clothes at your house boss."

"Not going to my house. Ziva knows about my house. We're going to Stillwater."

"In all fairness, boss, Ziva knows about Stillwater too."

Gibbs smiled and grabbed Kaitlin's things. "Yep, but it's a lot harder to get to you in Pennsylvania."

Tony sighed and stood up. Abby gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, did the same to the baby before he grabbed the car seat and followed behind his boss. "Did you let your dad know we're coming?"

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said getting into the elevator. "And he's thrilled."

"How long are we staying?"

"Few days. Just until Vance gets back from Israel."

"Vance is going to Israel?"

"Yep. Wants to speak face to face with Eli David himself."

Tony looked down at Kaitlin. She smiled at him, her face brightening immediately upon making eye contact with her daddy. "What kind of man does this to his daughter, boss? Throws an out of control agent at her?"

Gibbs sighed and looked down at the smiling baby, "One that really doesn't give a damn about her."

His senior field agent looked up at him, a dark look coming into his green eyes. "You realize that once she goes back to Israel, we're never going to see or hear from her again. Eli will put her back into the game and she'll end up dead-just like Ari, just like Rivkin. He uses these people for pawns in his game."

"Nothing else we can do, Tony. She couldn't stay here."

"You could have transferred me to another team."

"Don't even suggest that, DiNozzo! She violated my trust, yours, she doesn't fit on our team anymore."

Tony numbly nodded his head. It wasn't going to do him any good to keep arguing. Besides, he was tired and didn't have the energy to keep up the fight. He just wanted to go to sleep. By his estimation he'd been up almost two days now. At least he had the ride to Stillwater that he could sleep because he couldn't imagine Gibbs driving like he normally did with a baby in the backseat.


	18. Stillwater

**Warnings: **None for this chapter

**A/N: **Ziva has gone back to Israel. Tony, Kaitlin and Gibbs have gone to stay with Jackson in Stillwater. So, there are some fluffy chapters ahead!

**Thank you everyone for your continued support! I have tried to reply to all of your reviews personally, and I apologize if I have missed you, but I wanted to let you all know that it is very much appreciated :)**

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><p>Tony woke up with his face down in the pillows, smelling like the clean scent of <em>Gain. <em> Slowly he used his good arm to push himself up in, wincing when his bad one screamed out in pain.

Soft, warm breezes blew through the windows of his guest room in Jackson Gibbs' home. Tony could hear the birds chirping and for a few moments it helped him forget everything that had happened in the last forty-eight hours. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and turned his body around, looking at the portable crib that was set up at the foot of his bed.

"Hey sleepy-head," Tony whispered, climbing out of the small twin bed and moving towards the crib. "Time to get up."

Kaitlin wasn't looking back at him. There was nothing in the crib, not even her blanket. Tony's heart raced. Someone had taken his baby, while he had been sleeping, in the same room.

Tearing down the stairs he found Gibbs sitting in the store, at the table with the paper and a cup of coffee. The former marine looked up, casually at him and smiled. " 'Morning."

" _'Morning_?" Tony snapped. "Kaitlin's gone! Someone took her out of her crib!"

"Yeah. I know," Gibbs said, softly, going back to reading his paper.

"You know?" he gasped, eyes wide. "We have to do something! She could be anywhere!"

Gibbs sent him a mock glare. "DiNozzo. She's outside with my dad."

Tony rushed outside to find Jackson perched on the bench, Kaitlin sitting in his lap, hanging on his every word. His heart rate slowed, seeing that the baby was perfectly fine. It was probably the first time in two days that she had an easy expression on her face. She might be little but she had an acute sense, and she had picked up on everyone's sense of anxiety around NCIS. Being here in Stillwater was going to be good for both of them.

Jackson noticed him stand there and looked up with a smile. "I forgot how delightful little baby girls can be."

"She isn't so delightful at three in the morning when she's hungry," Tony muttered, sitting down on the bench with Jackson.

"Ah, well, all apart of being a daddy," Jackson said, smiling at Kaitlin. "Me-I get to do the more enjoyable grandpa bit."

Kaitlin grinned and kicked her legs underneath her blanket. Her hazel eyes were soaking up all the expressions that Jackson was giving her, lapping up the attention. She had been shuffled around the last two days between Abby and McGee, sometimes getting to see her father and Gibbs.

Tony reached out and gently stroked her cheek with his finger. Her eyes found him and she gave him a big, toothless grin. His heart ached to be able to hold her but it was difficult with his one arm.

Gibbs suddenly appeared in the door, two mugs of coffee in his hand. He gave one to Tony. "Hope you don't mind that Dad and I took care of her this morning. You didn't even hear me come in and get her."

"I guess I was pretty tired," Tony confessed, taking a sip of his coffee. "Been a long forty-eight hours-but I don't need to tell you that."

"Nope."

"Well," Jackson said, "You're in the right place, son, to unwind and relax. Leroy and I will take care of this precious little one."

Tony frowned, slightly. "I don't want to be a burden, Jackson."

Jackson smiled and shook his head. "Non-sense, Tony! Leroy's people are ever a burden! You're like family to him so that makes you family to me. How do you expect to take care of this baby with one good arm?"

If Tony was honest Gibbs and his father were more of a family to him than his own flesh and blood. He had yet to contact his dad about the baby. He just wasn't sure how Senior was going to react. His father was a hard man to read, a mystery. Would he be happy for his son? Or disgusted that his son had gotten a woman pregnant out of wedlock?

He downed the rest of his coffee quickly, drowning away all his sorrows surrounding his dad. Gibbs had always told him that family was more than just DNA. Watching his daughter smiling enthusiastically at Jackson while he told her some story about Gibbs childhood, Tony was very much aware by what his boss meant. Kaitlin didn't know the difference between a flesh and blood bond and friendship bonds. All she knew was that people were caring and loving her.

"I think," Jackson proclaimed. "It's time for a walk. You brought her stroller right?"

"Dad. You don't go anywhere with her without me," Gibbs said, jabbing his thumb into his chest.

"Well, finish you coffee, son," Jackson said, with a twinkling smile. "Kaitlin and I are waiting."

Gibbs glanced at Tony, who just raised his eyebrows. "Looks like we're all going for a walk."

Tony eyed the Gibbs cautiously. "I'm fine here, thanks."

"DiNozzo, you and Kaitlin are both under this protection detail."

"I can take care of myself, boss."

"With what weapon? FBI still has it as evidence in the case and you haven't been issued a new one."

"I go get my coat," Tony grumbled, getting up.

Gibbs chuckled as Jackson called after him, "Great! When we get back I'll make you two boys breakfast fit for a king!"

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><p>By the time they got back to the store Tony was famished. He should have known that a walk through a small, close-knit town was not going to go by quickly. Everyone needed to stop and gush at Kaitlin, who was more than happy to oblige them with smiles and coos.<p>

Tony did have to admit that Jackson did keep his end of the bargain though and cooked a fabulous breakfast. So, while he gobbled up the best meal he'd eaten since having dinner at the Bradley's, Kaitlin sat in her bouncy seat, sucking on a pacifier, watching the three men closely.

It was getting close to her morning nap, Tony could see the sleep starting to claim her. He finished his breakfast and announced he was going to go put the baby down for a nap.

"Sure you don't want one of us to do that, Tony?" Jackson asked, watching as the younger man struggled slightly to get the baby out of her seat. "We don't mind, honestly."

"No," Tony said, gently, finally getting the baby settled into his good arm. "I can do it."

Before they could argue with him, Tony made his way upstairs to the guest room that he was sharing with the baby. He closed the door and sat down in the rocking chair. He'd requested that Jackson put one in the room, since Kaitlin liked to be rocked when she went to sleep and the older man was happy to oblige. He even told him a story behind the chair that it had been in Leroy's nursery when Gibbs had been a baby.

Tony could almost picture Gibbs' mother sitting in the chair, rocking her newborn baby boy. It was hard to believe at some point the rough around the edges marine had been a sweet bundle of joy.

Kaitlin didn't take too long to fall asleep, already half-way there by the time Tony sat down to rock her. Gently he placed her in the crib and watched her for a moment. And it hit him-_none _of this was his fault. He had been doing his job, to protect his team, his country and probably, most importantly, his daughter. He should not be feeling guilty that Ziva had been sent back to Israel. Gibbs was right-she had kept secrets from them and as a team they couldn't do that to one another.

He felt a sense of peace wash over him and he went to lay down on the bed, deciding that he was going to take a nap as well.


	19. Right Track

**Warnings: **Slight spoilers for "Aliyah."

**A/N: **Here is another update! Enjoy! And Happy St. Patricks Day!

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><p>Kaitlin was awake bright and early on their fourth day in Stillwater. Tony managed to crawl out of bed and lift her out of the crib. He was getting pretty good at taking care of her with one arm, but he would be happy when he had use of both of his arms again.<p>

"You like it here, don't you pretty girl," Tony said to her sweetly as he laid her down onto the bed to change. Kaitlin grinned. "I like it too."

Finished up with her changing, Tony wrapped her in her blanket and carried her downstairs, resting against his good shoulder. He situated her in her bouncy seat that was on the table and warmed her a bottle. He sat down at the table with her and guided the bottle into her mouth, studying how much she had changed in the last three months. She didn't look like a newborn at all anymore. Her hair was lightening, her eyes were turning green and when she smiled Gibbs' swore she looked just like Tony.

Tony stroked her silky hair. Being away from Washington had given him a new perspective on a lot of things. First being that Gibbs was right, that Ziva couldn't stay in D.C. She might not have acted completely by choice but she had made the wrong choices when she had the chance to make them. Gibbs, Tony, and McGee were going to be safer in the long run if Ziva went back to Israel.

Kaitlin eagerly sucked down her breakfast, soaking in the sight of daddy given her his undivided attention. She might have Jackson and Gibbs and all the ladies of the local bridge club wrapped around her little fingers but she definitely enjoyed her daddy time the most.

"How about a walk, peanut?" Tony questioned, wiping her mouth. "Beautiful day outside and I'm sure all those nice old ladies would like to see you."

"Just make sure you take me with you," Gibbs said as he came down the stairs. "Protection detail isn't up yet."

"And just how much longer am I going to be under this protection detail?"

Gibbs grinned and poured himself a cup of coffee. "What's the matter, DiNozzo? Don't like me breathing down your neck?"

Tony smiled easily at the baby before turning it towards Gibbs. "Nah. I'm used to you breathing down my neck, I've worked with you for eight years now, boss."

" 'Morning fellas," Jackson said entering the room. He smiled at Kaitlin, "Good morning pretty little lady."

Kaitlin's chubby cheeks pulled into a grin at Jackson, but then her eyes looked about as she fussed. Gibbs quickly lifted her out of her seat and sat her in his lap. She was able to hold her head up on her own now and could sit up with support. Another sign that she was getting bigger and stronger. When she got tired of holding her own head up, she flopped back against Gibbs chest and let out a sigh.

Gibbs laughed while he sipped his coffee. He tightened his hold on her with his arm snugly around her waist. Drinking his coffee, sitting at the kitchen table reminded him of mornings he did get to spend with Kelly. Shannon had liked to sleep in on the weekends and those mornings had been reserved for father and daughter. It was on Sunday mornings, while he was sitting in the dining room reading his paper that he truly missed his daughter the most.

Tony was reaching out and ticking the baby's toes, to which she reacted with excited motions and grins. "I'm going to go get your stroller okay, peanut?"

"DiNozzo, remember you don't go out without me," Gibbs reminded him as he left.

"Being a little overprotective aren't you Leroy?" Jackson asked as he sat down at the table.

"A trained assassin broke into his house and tried to kill him," Gibbs replied, planting a gentle kiss on the baby's head. "Tony doesn't shoot him he probably would have killed Tony and Kaitlin."

Jackson reached out and gave Kaitlin his finger. She latched on immediately. He smiled at her sadly. "No wonder this sweet little baby was so tense when you got here."

Gibbs had to agree. Kaitlin's life had been uprooted and she'd been shuffled around from different caretakers during the investigation."It was a rough few days for everyone."

"Okay!" Tony said cheerfully. "I got your stroller and it's waiting for you out front!"

"DiNozzo," Gibbs growled while Tony picked the baby off his lap and swaddled her in her blanket.

"I know, boss. I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Good."

Before he could get up from the table, Gibbs' cell phone rang. He stood, glared at Tony one more time to get his point across, and flipped it open. "Yeah Gibbs."

"_Eli David is a clever son of a bitch," _Leon Vance said, angrily. "_He didn't out right admit to putting a hit on Tony, but he didn't deny it."_

"So, how did you smooth over things to stay in Eli's good graces?" Gibbs asked, watching as Tony put a knit cap on Kaitlin's head.

"_Gave him everything we had on the terrorist that sleeper cell was working for," _Vance replied. "_We took care of the sleeper cell, he'll take care of the rest. Sounds like that was all apart of Rivkin's mission."__  
><em>

"And Ziva?"

"_Barely spoken to him while I've been here. I've got a transport flight in an hour. I think you can lift that protection detail on DiNozzo."_

Gibbs glanced up to see that his father and Tony had disappeared outside already. He rolled his eyes at how stubborn his SFA could be and he was going to let Tony hear about it when he finished this phone call. "I'll lift it when I feel it's necessary, Leon. I need to speak to Tobias first."

Vance wasn't one to question Gibbs' loyalty to his senior field agent. He'd already done that once and it hadn't gone well. Gibbs had been a thorn in his side until Vance had reassigned DiNozzo to Washington. "_Very well. I'll see you in a couple of days." _

He hung up the phone and went outside. Tony and his father were already half way down the street. "HEY!" he shouted, running to catch up to him. "I thought I told you to wait for me!"

Tony turned to grin at him. "You seemed busy boss. And I didn't want to keep Katie waiting."

"Besides, Leroy, he didn't leave without a protection detail," Jackson said, holding up his rifle. "He's got me."

"And Director Vance was calling you to lift the detail anyways," Tony stated. "I'm in the clear."

"Not until I say you are," Gibbs snarled.

Tony frowned at him. "Come on, boss. If Eli David had wanted me dead, I'd be dead."

Gibbs stole a glance at Kaitlin for a moment, happily watching the three men converse above her. "First, I need to talk to Fornell, _then _we'll discuss lifting the protection detail."

"Fine," Tony said, "but you're really no fun, boss."

He would never tell his SFA this but he was happy to see that sassy Tony back. It meant he was feeling better and that they were all moving in the right direction to getting back on track.


	20. Redemption

**Warnings: **Slight spoilers for "Aliyah."

**A/N: ** Last chapter with Tony and Kaitlin visiting Grandpa Jack. I am having trouble deciding what exactly to do with Ziva. I liked her character on the show, but at the same time I'm so turned off by her crazy fans right now that I don't even feel like writing her because I feel like I'm so frustrated with them that I won't write her properly and I try to stay as true to the characters as I possibly can. Thank goodness I probably have a few more chapters to figure this all out, lol. Enjoy!

**And thank you everyone for the continued support! I love reading your reviews and hearing your thoughts on my story!**

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><p>Jackson made a killer steak. Almost as good as Gibbs' cowboy style. Tony smiled and rubbed his belly with his good hand. "Whoa, now I know where the boss learned how to cook a mean steak."<p>

"Taught everything I know about cooking," Jackson said with a smile. "Rest he learned from his mama."

"Mom was a hell of a cook," Gibbs recalled, smiling while he sipped his beer. "I'll clean this up, Dad."

Jackson didn't hear him, he was too busy telling Kaitlin another story, but this time it was about his deceased wife. "She loved babies, always helping the local women with their kids. I think she would have loved you, pretty lady. Don't see how she couldn't! With those big green eyes your daddy is going to have to keep a watch out for all those boys coming to call."

Tony glowered. "I have an easy solution to that. When they show up to take her to the prom I'm just going to flash my badge and SIG-that will send them running."

"And Kaitlin will hate you for the rest of her life," Gibbs chuckled while he put the dirty dishes in the sink.

"Oh, you're telling me you wouldn't have flashed your sniper rifle when a date showed up to pick up Kelly?" Tony snapped.

Kaitlin smiled and looked between the three men, almost like she was trying to follow the conversation. Tony frowned at her and leaned forward. "Listen to me, peanut, men are pigs," he said, pointing to himself, "Take it from me. Stay away from them until you're at least thirty-five."

Gibbs laughed out loud this time and began to wash the dishes. Although he knew Tony was right-he would have been there with his sniper rifle if Kelly had lived to begin dating. When he was done he turned to find his father tickling Kaitlin's wildly moving toes, and his heart warmed at the sight of the sheer joy on her little face. Such a difference from the baby that he had put in his car and driven up to Stillwater a little less than a week ago with. The team leader was beginning to see that Kaitlin hadn't just inherited her father's eyes or smile, but she had inherited his acute observation skills. Even at a young age she had been aware that something bad had gone down.

Outside he heard a car door slam shut and Gibbs felt his own senses flare. "Tony, take Kaitlin upstairs."

"Boss?"

"Just do it."

Tony snatched the baby out of Jackson's arms and headed upstairs. Jackson threw his son a concerned look. "Leroy, is something wrong?"

Gibbs put his hand near his gun as someone reached out and knocked on the door. Slowly he moved towards it and in one swift motion he pulled his weapon and opened the door.

"Jesus Christ, Jethro!" Tobias Fornell snapped. "Put that thing away before you hurt someone!"

"Tobias! What are you doing here?" Gibbs inquired, storing his weapon.

"I came to give you an update," Fornell said with a shrug as he came into the house. "Vance says you're reluctant to lift the detail."

Gibbs sighed and slammed the door shut. "I'm not entirely convinced that Eli David wasn't behind this."

Fornell nodded his head. "Well, none of us are. My sources tell me though he got what he wanted out of all of this-the site of Saleem Ulman's camp. Rumor has it that he's sending a team out now to take Saleem out. One that includes his daughter."

Tony had warned him that they were never going to see Ziva again if she went back to Israel. Gibbs frowned knowing that there was nothing he could do. Ziva had betrayed his trust and had to go back to Israel. Whatever happened after that was out of his hands. He looked up at the stairs when they creaked and saw Tony standing there, Kaitlin tucked safely in his arm. "Is there any danger to Tony or the baby?"

"FBI has done a full sweep of the house, no bugs, no bombs-no one has seen anything suspicious around the neighborhood," Fornell reported. "I think we're in the clear here, Jethro."

"Yeah? FBI willing to watch his house while he goes on medical leave for his arm?" Gibbs asked, raising an eyebrow.

Fornell shook his head. "You really think David is out to get him, don't you?"

Gibbs glared. "Give me one good reason that bastard isn't. Everything he said to Leon means nothing."

"Ziva requested that her father leave Tony and Kaitlin alone."

"What?" Tony and Gibbs said at the same time.

Fornell grabbed one of the unopened beers on the table and popped it open. "According to Vance she asked her father what he wanted her to do. He wanted her to take Michael Rivkin's mission. Vance and I followed up on that when he got back to Washington yesterday. Apparently, she took it-on one condition-that her father call off the hit on Tony and the baby. I guess she really liked you fellas after all."

Kaitlin made a little cooing noise and Tony looked down at her. He wasn't sure what changed her mind or why she chose that moment to have his six-or maybe she was just protecting Kaitlin because she saw herself as a little girl in the baby. Either way, Tony would forever be grateful.

"Tobias?" Gibbs said, breaking Tony's concentration, "Why did you drive all the way up here to tell me this and not call?"

"Heard your dad makes a great steak," Fornell replied, grinning madly.

"Well then," Jackson said grinning, "pull up a chair and I'll put one on for you. A friend of Leroy is a friend of me."

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><p>Tony sat in the rocking chair in the guest room, Kaitlin perched on his lap. She had a pacifier in her mouth and was struggling to stay awake. "We're going home tomorrow, peanut. We'll both get to sleep in our own beds."<p>

Kaitlin worked furiously on her pacifier, her eyes locking with his. "I'm gonna miss it here, peanut. Everything is so much simpler here," he said with a sigh, rocking slowly back and forth. "No one wants to kill me here, no one is going away on suicide missions to make sure I'm safe and that you're safe. I wish we could stay here forever."

"But, we can't stay here forever," Tony said, smiling sadly at her. "I have work to do and you have growing up to do. However, let's not grow up too fast okay?"

Kaitlin smiled, sleepily and finally closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep. Tony continued to rock her, just watching as little expressions passed her face, as she sighed and dreamed. "I mean it, baby," he whispered to her, "I know someday you're not going to need me to take care of you anymore. I just don't want you to get there too quickly."

Gibbs chose that moment to peek in on him. "Hey. Thought you'd be sleeping."

Tony looked up and offered his boss a lopsided grin. "Just enjoying this because I know she won't be this small forever."

"Yeah," Gibbs whispered, going and taking the baby out of the senior field agent's lap. He smiled at her briefly before putting her in her crib. "And DiNozzo, no matter how big she gets-she's always going to be your little girl."

"I know, boss," Tony said, sleepily.

Gibbs pointed towards the bed. "You need to go to bed. We have a long drive tomorrow."

Tony yawned and got up, stretching. "Boss?"

"Yeah?"

"You really think Ziva went on that mission to make sure Kaitlin and I were safe?"

Gibbs frowned slightly. "I think...I think it's possible that she was looking for some kind of redemption."

Tony sat on the edge of his bed and gazed into the portable crib at his daughter sleeping peacefully. "Redemption for what, exactly? For betraying NCIS, almost getting me and Kaitlin killed?"

"Everything."

"Her father is a sick bastard for sending his only child on a suicide mission."

Gibbs could see the pain in the SFA's eyes, knowing that Tony didn't understand Eli David's decision to raise his daughter to be a killer, his son to be a double agent. "Different world out there, DiNozzo. Who knows what any of us would do if we were faced with those kinds of choices."

Tony shook his head. "I'd never raise Kaitlin to be a killer, boss. I want her to grow up and be whatever she wants to be-a doctor, a ballerina-anything her heart desires. The world has enough violence in it without me teaching her to be violent."

"Well, that's what makes you different than Eli David," Gibbs said with a shrug.

"Almost wish we'd gone with Vance to Israel so I could have given him a piece of my mind," Tony ground out between clenched teeth.

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed before leaving, "me too, Tony. Me too."


	21. It's Not Right

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences".

**A/N:** Here we go, time to get the ball rolling on the next important arc. "Truth or Consequences" to this day is still one of my favorite episodes. I just think the cast shined.

**Thank you all for taking the time to review and encourage me to keep going. **Everyone's support on my story has been wonderful and I'm going to go forward with the way I see things happening. Because, like someone pointed out the haters are going to hate no matter.

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><p>On the fourth of July Tony dressed Kaitlin in a red, white and blue sundress with matching headband and drove to Gibbs' house for a cook-out. It was hot and humid, but it was good to be out of the office for a day.<p>

Kaitlin slept most of the way to Gibbs' house but woke up quickly when she was passed around between Abby and Ducky.

Tony was content that his daughter was entertained for the moment and snuck into the house to find Gibbs in the kitchen. He watched as the boss prepared the meat for grilling. "I know that you spoke to Vance about Ziva."

"Doesn't surprise me," Gibbs said, calmly. "It's hard to hide things from you, DiNozzo."

"What was that conversation about?" the senior field inquired, jumping right into the fire.

Gibbs threw him a cautious look over his shoulder. "Just following up to make sure that Director David is sticking to his end of the deal- that as along as Ziva completed this mission for him he would leave you alone."

Tony clenched his fists at his side. "What happens if she dies out there?"

"It's out of our hands right now, DiNozzo."

"I know and it sucks. Eli David is using his own child to spread his hate and violence."

Gibbs sighed and turned towards Tony. "He has his reasons. Saleem Ulman is a dangerous man that does need to be taken care of before more people die. He's protecting his country. Much like you and I do every day."

Tony glared at him. "Abby hasn't heard from Ziva in two months. Surely she has to be back from the mission by now."

"Again, it's out of our hands."

He turned away, beginning to pace the kitchen. He wanted to do something, anything. But Gibbs was right. They had no reasons to go after Saleem themselves. They had done their part over here and handed the information off to Director David. Tony was about to counter when the back door opened and Abby stepped in, Kaitlin on her hip. "Can I give her some strawberries? I promise I'll mash them up."

Tony nodded and Abby handed the baby off to him, who was more than happy to gurgle for her daddy. He felt that same tightness in his chest that he'd been feeling for the last couple of months, whenever he thought about what Ziva had done just to protect the two of them. He smoothed Kaitlin's hair back. It was a honey color now, gone were the dark locks of hair she had been born with. Tony wondered if she was going to inherit her mother's fair colorings.

Kaitlin busily took in the room, grinning when people passed her even if they didn't grin back. Gibbs had also invited his neighbors over and most of them knew her from the Bradley's.

"Here, Katie," Abby cooed, holding out a spoonful of mashed up strawberries to her, "try this."

She grasped the spoon in her hand as Abby guided it into her mouth. Tony chuckled at the face she made for a moment but then she swallowed the strawberries. Abby gave her another spoonful and soon she was reaching for the spoon wanting more. "I guess you like them," Tony observed, handing her back to Abby.

He was slightly angry to see that Gibbs had left the kitchen, ending their conversation. Stepping back outside onto the porch there was a sense that this wasn't right. They all were happy, laughing and having a good time, when Tony knew that Ziva could very well be fighting for her life at that moment. All to keep him and Kaitlin safe. Should he join in? Should he really be this happy to have a day off from work to celebrate with his friends-his family.

Ducky must have seen the despondent look on his face. "Anthony, everything all right?"

From across the deck Gibbs shot him a look. The pair had decided months ago in Stillwater that Ziva's choice was not something to be discussed with the team. Tony knew the rest of them wouldn't leave it alone though and they had already expressed their concerns. "No," he finally said, taking a seat, "Kaitlin's been getting up early. Guess I'm tired."

"Here," Palmer said handing him a beer, "Have this. It will help you relax a bit."

"Thanks, Jimmy."

"Sure thing, Tony."

It was at this point that the rest of the afternoon went by like any lazy summer day should. At the end of it, McGee, Abby and Jimmy got into Tony's car and headed out to watch the fireworks. Ducky and Gibbs stayed behind with a napping Kaitlin.

Tony was pretty sure that Gibbs was content to let the subject of Ziva drop once again, until he returned to pick up the baby. The boss was waiting for him in the kitchen, gazing at him intently. Kaitlin was awake and seated in her car seat, now wearing red, white, and blue pajamas. "I'm just as angry as you are, Tony," he said, "about what Eli David has done to his only living child. But there isn't much I can do. Vance has tried to get more information out of Eli, he won't talk."

"It isn't good enough, boss," Tony hissed. "What if she's in trouble?"

"Then it's Mossad's job to help her. Not ours."

"Mossad isn't going to save her and you know that."

"She made her bed, DiNozzo."

Tony snatched up the carrier and thanked him for watching Kaitlin while he went to the fireworks. He stormed out, back to his car but slowed his pace when he saw that McGee and Ducky were waiting for him.

McGee glanced tentatively at Ducky. "Tony. We're worried about Ziva, too."

He opened the back door of the car and began to situate Kaitlin into the base. She babbled and chewed on her toes, which she had just discovered the other day. "Ziva went back to Israel and rejoined Mossad. It was the only option besides sending her to jail," he replied, locking the carrier into place. He got out of the back seat and slammed the door shut. "Not much we can do."

"Anthony," Ducky started, "We know she took that mission to protect you and Kaitlin from Mossad."

"How...how do you know that?"

"While you were gone I pried it out of Jethro."

"And Abby and I might have been hacking into Vance."

Tony shook his head. "None of you are supposed to know about that."

McGee glared at him. "Well, we do. The question is-what are we going to do about it? We know that Ziva left for that mission months ago and Abby hasn't heard from her since. None of us have. And Eli David isn't talking."

Ducky looked at him softly. "Anthony, despite how everything ended in May, you have to know that this isn't right. Her silence has to mean _something._"

"Her silence...her silence probably means she's undercover," Tony finally choked out, even if he didn't believe it.

"Tony...come on," McGee whispered, "that's BS."

"I _know, _McGee!" Tony snapped moving around his car and opening the driver's door. "But it's the best I got right now!"

McGee and Ducky watched as he slammed the door shut and drove away. "Oh Timothy," Ducky lamented, "we have a much bigger problem on our hands than we all originally feared."

* * *

><p>Kaitlin seemed to know that something was bothering her father. She made little noises, smiled, kicked her feet and yet he barely reacted to her. It wasn't until she cried slightly that Tony turned to glance at her, sitting propped up in her boppy pillow. Her crying immediately ceased and she smiled.<p>

Tony reached out and ran his thumb along her cheek. "Sorry. I was thinking...about what Uncle Tim and Grandpa Ducky said." She cooed and kicked her legs. Tony lifted her out of the pillow and sat her in his lap, kissing the top of her head. "I feel like we need to do something to help Ziva. I just don't know what, peanut. And everything I think about, every scenario, it ends up with me leaving you behind for a long time. And I don't want to do that."

Her little green eyes sparkled. It didn't matter what Tony said to her, she just loved it when he talked to her. Tony found she was an excellent sound board-for the time being anyway. There was going to come a time when she began to understand what he was saying to her and these little conversations would become all but non-existent.

"Grandpa Gibbs knows that something's up too. Always trust his gut, Katie, got it?"

Kaitlin grinned and promptly put her foot in her mouth to begin chewing on her toes again. Tony chuckled and watched her. For now, he was happy to play with her and spend time with her, because tomorrow it was back to the grind and he could deal with all his problems then.


	22. Change the Game

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences"

**A/N: **Here is some more! I noticed in some of the last reviews that people requested that I keep it Tiva free. I just wanted to let you know that this story is not going to be a Tiva romance. If anything there will be friendship but that is as far as it will go. Hope that clears things up for a few people :) **And thank you everyone that has taken the time to review, favorite or follow my story. I love you all :)**

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><p>Tony was late. Very, very late. <em>Damn it, damn it, damn it! <em>He cursed as he ran to his desk, hair wild, shirt not buttoned straight. As he tossed his bag down near his chair, he noticed that McGee glanced up at him. "Hi," he greeted, sounded hoarse and out of breath.

"What happened to you?" McGee asked, eyebrows raised in concern. "You're...covered in something orange."

"Kaitlin," Tony answered opening his filing cabinet and finding a new shirt. "I think she's teething. She was cranky this morning. Threw her breakfast at me. Kid's got a good arm I might have to consider signing her up for T-Ball."

McGee shook his head. "She's only six months old. I think they have to be four to play T-Ball."

Tony quickly unbuttoned his stained shirt and slipped it off. He pulled on the clean one and began to work the buttons. "I don't suppose Gibbs hasn't noticed I'm late yet, has he?"

"Oh, he noticed," Gibbs snapped appearing behind Tony's cubicle. "And he isn't too happy."

"Sorry, boss," Tony said finishing up with his shirt. He held the dirty one up. "I was attacked by an unhappy six month old."

"Well wipe the peaches off of your face and get to work," Gibbs glowered. "I'm going to meet with Vance."

Tony and McGee watched as Gibbs blew out of the bullpen as fast as he came. Tony finished buttoning up his shirt and frowned. "You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say Gibbs and Vance are doing something behind our backs."

McGee pursed his lips together. "Like what?"

"Yesterday when I found Gibbs in MTAC he was finished up a chat with Agent Dunham about raids in North Africa."

"North Africa? What interest does Gibbs have in North Africa?"

Tony had a few guesses and he didn't like any of them. His gut was telling him that this had something to do with Ziva. He should have known that even though Gibbs had told him to forget about it, the leader himself was not going to let it go. "I'm not sure, but I have a feeling it has something to do with Ziva."

McGee frowned. "So we can either hack into Mossad or Vance."

"Either way, both sound like a death sentence."

"We have to do something. We can't just let Gibbs go off on his own."

Tony tended to agree. He wasn't sure what the former marine had planned. Because truthfully, no matter how much they all wanted to find out what had happened to Ziva, there wasn't much they could do. The SFA glanced at McGee for a moment. "Go ask Abby for help."

McGee nodded his head and stood. "Help with what, exactly?"

"Did we recover any information off of Tabal's laptop?"

"Yeah. We just haven't been able to decrypt it. We passed it on to Mossad hoping they would."

"Please tell me you made copies of the data."

"'Course we did."

His phone was ringing. Probably another interview for the open position on the team. Tony felt like Gibbs was railroading him for whatever reason, but he wasn't going to call the boss out on it. He glanced at McGee. "See if you can get Abby to help you. I'll keep chugging away at these damn interviews."

McGee nodded his head and hurried down to the lab. Tony picked up the phone and began a long morning of trying to find a new member for their team.

* * *

><p>"Hey boss," Tony said, catching Gibbs coming out of MTAC yet again close to the end of the day. "I've been thinking-do we really need to fill that empty desk?"<p>

"Getting tired of interviewing, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked with a smile.

Tony shrugged. "I just wonder if it's too soon, you know. We haven't had a lot of time to adjust to Ziva being gone and I feel like we wouldn't be giving anyone a fair shot if...well...if we hadn't completely moved beyond all that."

Gibbs eyed his senior field agent for a moment. "What's the real reason you came up here to talk to me, DiNozzo?"

"You've been spending an awful lot of time in MTAC," Tony pointed out getting right to the point. "And we're not working an active ease at the moment so logical states that this has something to do with that terrorist cell we passed information on to Eli David."

"Maybe it does," Gibbs admitted. "Director David doesn't seem too worried according to Vance."

Tony scoffed. "Doesn't seem worried? Then why send a rogue agent our way?"

Gibbs shrugged. "Why send Ari? Let's face it, Eli David never shows his true intentions."

"Ziva?"

"Vance only knows that she took the mission. David isn't stating anything else about her and it isn't our business."

"But you're worried."

"Oh yeah," Gibbs said. "Worried that Eli doesn't seem to care that his daughter could be dead."

Tony winced. "Mossad isn't looking for her?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. And Vance can't authorize us looking for her either, unless it is directly related to NCIS. Until then, if Ziva is in trouble we're gonna have to put our faith in Mossad."

For a moment Tony's eyes grew sad and then they grew angry. "Faith? Faith to do what exactly? Rescue her? They'll just as soon let her die out there before they go out and save her. The bigger picture has always been more important to them than their own people, look at what they did to Ari, to Rivkin. They twisted them into soulless, ruthless killers that had to be taken out."

"Violence is a way of life for them, Tony," Gibbs said, sadly. "Nothing we can do about it."

"Ziva deserved more than becoming the latest of Eli's sacrifical lambs," Tony snapped.

Gibbs was going to reply to him but Tony's cell phone buzzed and he was forced to answer it. So, Gibbs silently stood by while Tony was on the phone with the nanny. He wasn't surprised when Tony ended the call and told him he had to go. Kaitlin was teething and inconsolable. As the SFA was jogging down the stairs, Gibbs called after him. "Hey, DiNozzo!"

Tony turned and looked at him expectantly. "Yeah?"

"Vance didn't say no to look into this deeper to see if NCIS is at risk."

"Got it, boss," Tony said with a smile, getting his hidden meaning. "See ya tomorrow."

Gibbs nodded as he went. If they were going to go after Ziva and do what her father didn't have the guts to do, they were going to have to change the game. And that was something Gibbs and his team were good at.

* * *

><p>Kaitlin wasn't refusing to go to sleep. No, she would fall asleep rather easily. She was just refusing to <em>stay <em>asleep.

Tony gave up around four that morning to keep her down for the night. He changed her and brought her downstairs and laid her down in the playpen while he sleepily watched some television. Teething was turning out to be just another adventure in this thing called parenthood and he would be happy when they got through this.

He'd giving the fussy baby a cold teething ring but after awhile she'd gotten bored with that. Even her toys in her playpen weren't keeping her happy. So, Tony, grumbling, lifted her out of playpen and went to sit on the sofa. Kaitlin whined but snuggled up to his chest and promptly stuck her thumb into her mouth.

"Poor baby," Tony whispered to her. "I'm sure this isn't how you wanted to spend your summer."

Her large eyes turned towards the sound of his voice and the sad look broke his heart. God, he hated it when his baby wasn't feeling well. He just wanted to make it go away. Gently he stroked her back and watched as she drifted off to sleep. It was that night that Tony learned how to get her to sleep when she wasn't feeling well-let her sleep snuggled up to Daddy.


	23. Left Behind

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences".

**A/N: **I have some more for you! I've got some twists and turns planned in the upcoming chapters that I hope you enjoy.

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><p>Gibbs noticed something rather startling at the beginning of August while he observed his team above the bullpen. Tony and McGee treated each other much more like equals now that Ziva wasn't around. He wasn't sure what to make of that. He wasn't even going to bother trying to make sense of it all.<p>

He had other matters on his mind. After weeks of tracking Mossad's mission in North Africa they had finally come up with that the team sent to assassinate Saleem Ulman was dead. Gibbs wasn't sure how. He just knew that they were gone.

Leaning against the rail he watched as Tony and McGee worked, occasionally chatting, laughing and smiling. Gibbs felt the bile rise in his throat thinking about that last conversation with Dunham. Learning that Ziva was dead was hard enough. For both himself and Vance, but hearing Dunham say that Saleem quite possibly had a marine captive, that was even harder. He knew that they couldn't ignore that rumor but they didn't have enough to send in a Seal team. They weren't even sure the exact location of Saleem's camp at this point.

"Are you going to update your team?" Vance said behind him.

"Yeah, soon," Gibbs promised, straightening his form.

"You have to tell them about Cryor."

"I know."

"We can't send the Seals in until we know for sure where Saleem is."

Gibbs clenched his jaw. He disliked this entire situation. Vance wanted to send some agents to survey the area with Dunham, but how could Gibbs ask Tony or McGee to do such a thing? It wasn't a safe place. And he certainly was not about to rip Tony away from Kaitlin. "My offer still stands, Leon. I go out to North Africa. Alone. Tony's perfectly capable of handling the team here in D.C in my absence."

Vance nodded his head. "I agree. But I'm not sure sending you alone is wise."

"I work better alone sometimes, Leon."

"This have anything to do with Kaitlin DiNozzo?"

"She's seven months old. I can't take Tony from her for a long period of time."

Vance looked down into the bullpen. He watched, silently as the two agents worked. "Eventually, Gibbs, this job is going to take him away from her. It's just the nature of the beast."

Gibbs wasn't stupid. He knew that he couldn't keep Tony in Washington forever. "I understand, Leon. But I don't need him-yet. When I do, I'll let you know."

He turned on his heel and made his way down the steps and into the bullpen. Tony and McGee didn't bat an eyelash as he came in. Things had been quiet for them in the last few days. They'd closed their case and were just tying up a few loose ends in paperwork. Gibbs paused in front of Tony's desk and the senior field agent gazed up at him.

"Everything okay, boss?" Tony asked, softly.

"I'm going to North Africa," Gibbs stated, bluntly.

"North Africa? Why boss?"

"Saleem Ulman possibly has a marine captive."

Tony's green eyes grew dark as he stood and squared his shoulders. "You can't possibly think we're going to let you go out there alone, boss."

Gibbs matched his intense gaze. "Yes. You are. There's no definitive proof that Saleem has this captive or where he even is. It's a waste of resources to send all of us-and you have Kaitlin to think about."

Yes, he did have the baby to think about, but Tony could see what was really happening here. Or at least he thought he could. "You're really going out there to look for Ziva, aren't you? Boss, we've been trying to track her for months and we can't locate her. Mossad doesn't want us to find her."

"Ziva's dead," Gibbs stated, coldly. "Mossad confirmed it."

"How?" Tony choked out.

"Mossad wouldn't say."

"Then we can't be sure."

Gibbs looked at Tony sadly. No, they couldn't be sure, but why would Mossad lie to them that Ziva was dead? It didn't even fit their method of operation. Gibbs grabbed his gear and tipped his head at his SFA. "You're in charge, DiNozzo. I know you won't disappoint me."

* * *

><p>Tony was not surprised when Abby showed up at his door that night. "I need some Katie time," the young woman confessed.<p>

He let her inside the house and closed the door, softly. "She's in the living room playing."

Abby glanced into the living room and watched for a moment as Kaitlin played with her activity center. She had an intense look on her face while she pressed the buttons and made things sing and light up. It appeared that her favorite button was the one that made the toy sing the "ABC's" because she laughed and squealed with the music.

"You know, she really likes it when someone plays with her," Tony said behind her with a chuckle.

"Sorry. It's just...she's so...so far removed from all the bad in the world. It's like she's all the good."

"Yeah, she is a nice distraction."

Abby made her way towards the baby and greeted her, "Hey Katie, can Auntie Abby come play too?"

Kaitlin glanced up at Abby and smiled, pressing a number button that answered in a cheery voice, "One." She began to press the other numbers and they answered her back just as happily, which greatly amused the seven month old.

Tony sat down behind her and hit the rattles hanging from the bar. Kaitlin giggled and waved her arms, as if she asking him to do it again. She was more than happy to laugh hysterically when Tony did it again.

"She really likes this, huh?" Abby observed, sitting on the floor with the baby and pressing buttons with her.

"Keeps her from crawling around."

"She's crawling!"

"Yeah."

Abby reached out and punched him hard, on the arm. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Tony rubbed his sore arm. "Listen, things are a bit crazy around NCIS right now and it didn't even cross my mind."

"You've baby-proofed the house right?"

"Yes. Gibbs helped me last weekend when I caught her emptying a drawer in the kitchen. Kid is fast."

Kaitlin fussed when she realized the attention was no longer on her and reached her arms out to her father. Tony gently lifted her out of the activity center and situated her on his lap. She picked up a rattle and began shaking it for a bit but then burrowed deeper into Tony's lap, yawning.

Abby reached out and ran her fingers through the baby's hair. "Someone's getting sleepy," she observed with a smile.

Tony glanced at the clock. "Yeah it's getting close to bed time."

"Can I...can I put her to bed?"

"Sure. She has a set routine though, just so you're aware."

Abby snatched the baby out of his lap and rested her against her shoulder while she stood. "I think we'll be okay, right Katie?"

Kaitlin looked down at her father and whimpered slightly. Tony just offered her a reassuring smile while Abby began to move towards the stairs. This was going to be a big test for the baby. Recently he'd noticed that she wasn't too keen on the idea of being separated from Daddy and sure enough as Abby began to walk up the stairs and she lost sight of Tony, she let out a frightened cry.

Tony sighed, heavily, and got to his feet, going to stand in the entrance to the living room. Abby had stopped on the stairs and was looking at him, questionably. "It's fine, Abs," he said, softly. "She'll be okay. Go on. Once you start to rock her and sing to her she'll settle down, I'm sure of it."

"I don't want to upset her, Tony," Abby said, biting down on her lip. "Maybe you should do this."

"You came here for some Katie time, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, no better Katie time than rocking her to sleep. Trust me."

Abby nodded her head, rubbed Kaitlin's back and began her climb up the stairs once again. Kaitlin wasn't thrilled that her father wasn't coming with them and she sobbed, loudly, the whole way up to her room.

Tony went back into the living room and turned the baby monitor on. He listened while Abby hushed Kaitlin and slowly the baby's cries died down to little whimpers and then vanished altogether. He heard Abby get up from the rocker and go to the crib, gently laying Kaitlin down for the night.

He went into the kitchen and got a couple of beers out of the fridge. Abby appeared a few moments later. "See, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" he teased, handing her a beer.

"No," Abby admitted, "Thanks, Tony. I needed the distraction. I'm...I'm just so worried about Gibbs going on off on his own like this."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Tony responded, taking a sip of his beer. "And he's not entirely alone. Dunham's with him."

"Do you think...do you think Ziva's really dead?" she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes.

Tony sighed and clenched his jaw. He didn't want to believe it, because that meant she had died _for _him and his daughter, but there was no evidence to refute that fact. "Yeah," he finally said, "I do."

Abby put her beer down and launched herself at him, pulling him into a tight hug. Neither of them said anything, just praying that they were not about to lose Gibbs as well, because both of them knew they would never survive that loss.


	24. Missing

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences".

**A/N: **Sorry that it took me a while to get this up. I had wanted to get this up earlier but was having internet problems. Please let me know what you think :)

**As always I love to read your reviews! And thank you for favoriting or following my story!**

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><p>Tony and McGee went about the motions of the job for the next three weeks. They wrapped up easy cases of petty theft and public drunkenness, Vance not wanting to put them on a heavy rotation with Gibbs overseas. And even though Tony had regular video chats with the team leader in MTAC, both agents were troubled.<p>

It wasn't the first time Gibbs had gone off on his own but it might have been the first time that the stakes were so very high.

McGee had started to spend more and more time with Tony on the weekends, to get away from his troubling thoughts about the boss so far away. It had given him a whole new outlook on his partner. Tony was so different around the baby. He was loving and warm and to the naked eye anyone could see how much that baby adored him. Tony and Kaitlin had become McGee's safety net. Tony seemed to be catching on but he wasn't saying anything. Just like Gibbs' basement had been a safe place for Tony over the years, Tony's house was becoming that for McGee.

"Abby wants to take Kaitlin to the beach tomorrow," Tony broke the tense silence of the bullpen. "Care to join us? Should be…interesting."

"Yeah…I have no other plans," McGee mumbled. "Sounds…sad doesn't it?"

"Not to me," Tony assured him, packing up his gear for the night. "You're also welcome to come to dinner tonight."

McGee nodded and gathered up his things. "Sure," he replied. He couldn't remember the last time-if any-he had spent this much with Tony outside of work. Before Kaitlin's birth and Ziva' leaving, well, they really didn't hang out that much at all. Every now and then they'd go for drinks on a Friday if neither of them had a date but that was pretty much it. He was glad that it was changing. "I'll bring the beer."

Tony grinned as they made their way to the elevator and got inside. He pressed the button for the garage. "Make sure to pick up some Caf-Pow for Abby in the morning."

"And plenty of sunscreen," McGee joked. "Although, Abby's probably got stock in that. Surprised she wanted to take the baby to the beach in the first place with her fear of skin cancer."

"Well, she said she'd only take her if I agreed to paint her white with _Water Babies._"

McGee chuckled as they got off the elevator and headed towards their cars. "Either way, it will be nice to get away from the city for a while. You now, clear our heads and all."

Tony took a deep breath and reached out and placed a hand on McGee's shoulder. "You know he's coming back right? Even if we have to go over there and drag him back ourselves?"

His partner nodded and offered a sad smile. "I know."

"Good. Because if the time comes that we do have to go over there and get him-I'm gonna need you."

"Tony-you can always count on me."

* * *

><p>Kaitlin wasn't sure what to make of the ocean.<p>

Tony stood on the edge of the water, holding her around her stomach, close to him. Gently he would lean down and let her small toes touch the Atlantic Ocean, but she would immediately pull them back and whine. Seconds later though, she was itching to try it again, stretching her tiny body in his arms towards the sea.

It had been the perfect beach day. Not too hot or humid. A nice breeze. Abby had made everyone sandwiches and McGee had picked up a case of soda. They'd spent most of the day lounging underneath the beach umbrella. Kaitlin explored the sand and digging and when the tide had gone out Tony had ventured towards the water with the baby.

Right now she was letting him hold her in a standing position in the water up to her ankles and she didn't seem bothered by it.

Tony adjusted the white bonnet that she was wearing to cover her head and gently lowered her more into the water, never holding up on his grip of her. She squealed a little when her bottom hit the cold water but she turned towards him and grinned.

"Auntie Abby thought you might like the beach," Tony said with a smile at her.

Kaitlin just smiled bigger before turning back towards the water and splashing her hands in the little ripples that swirled around their feet.

Tony watched as her face grew in intensity the more she played in the water. Every once and a while she'd break the pattern and laugh, which was music to his ears. He loved hearing her laugh. It was contagious sometimes. He heard the click of a camera and glanced up to see Abby taking photos.

Abby pulled the camera back slightly and watched the baby for a moment. It amazed her every time she saw the baby how much she looked like her father. Even down to the smile. She lifted the camera once more and snapped another photo, it was probably only the two hundredth one she had taken that day but Kaitlin was the first baby that any of them had-she wanted to document everything in this little girl's life. "I think she likes the ocean!"

"Yeah. She's having fun, that's for sure," Tony said, grinning. "This was a great idea, Abs."

"I figured we could all use some time away," Abby replied. "Even if it is just for the day."

Tony stood, lifting Kaitlin, now dripping wet, and resting her against his hip. "Nothing wrong with a little escape." He planted a kiss on the baby's temple. "We've had a rough couple of months."

Abby frowned. "I really wish we could have gone to Israel for Ziva's funeral."

"By the time Vance knew she was dead it had already happened. Eli David probably didn't want us there."

"So what? She was our friend."

"That man doesn't know what true friendship is, Abs. He uses his _friends _for political gain. Look what he did to Vance."

Kaitlin fussed and Tony began to walk back towards their things. McGee was seated in a chair, reading a mystery novel, which Tony had joked was sizing up the competition for his next book. When Tony got there he plopped the baby down onto his chair and then wrapped a towel around her before shifting her to sit in his lap.

She snuggled under the towel and against her daddy. Tony gave her some grape juice in her bottle and watched as she sucked it down. It didn't take her long to drift off to sleep. Tony laid her down on the blanket under the beach umbrella and was just about to go back to his chair to eat a snack when his cell phone rang.

He dug it out of the beach bag and frowned when he saw the Director's name on the screen. "Director Vance, is everything alright?"

_"Agent Dunham has requested to speak to us," _Vance replied, sternly. "_When can you get to NCIS?" _

"Hour or so," Tony answered, softly, looking down at Kaitlin. "Depending on traffic."

McGee and Abby both looked up concerned. The tone of his voice and the fact that it was Vance calling on a Saturday meant that something was up.

Tony made brief eye contact with them as Vance replied, "_Then I'll see you in an hour, DiNozzo." _

As the Director hung up and Tony put his cell phone away, he was frozen for a moment. His gut was screaming that something bad had just gone down and he was halfway across the world, not with Gibbs to cover his six. Closing his eyes tightly for a moment to gather the strength he was going to need for the rest of the day, Tony sighed. _So much for a peaceful day to clear my head._

* * *

><p>"We've lost all contact with Gibbs."<p>

Tony felt his world spinning at this simple statement from Chad Dunham in MTAC. He could muddle through the loss of Kate, and Jenny, and now Ziva-but he wasn't sure he could muddle through the loss of Gibbs. "When was the last time you spoke to him, Dunham?"

Dunham took a deep breath. "Three days ago. He said he was going out to check the area that Ms. Sciuto pinpointed the location of Saleem's camp. I volunteered to go with him but he flat out refused. Disappeared before I even knew he was gone. He's sneaky, DiNozzo."

"Yeah," Tony mumbled, "tell me about it."

"I think it's time that we used that Seal team we talked about before, Dunham," Vance said, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"All due respect, Director, I'm not sure that's wise," Dunham said. "If Gibbs is being held by them he'd be dead before we got to him."

Tony bit down on his lower lip. He had to agree with Dunham. A Navy Seal team busting into the camp could mean certain death for Gibbs and Cryor-if they were still alive. The alternative wasn't much better but he knew what had to be done. "Director, I think I have a better idea."


	25. Leaving

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences", are they even considered that now we've gone so far off canon? LOL

**A/N: **Happy Weekend everyone!I've come to a decision on whether or not I want Ziva to return. And because I'm sure no one wants to be spoiled I won't reveal it until we get to that point in the story. So, here's some more. Actually writing this has inspired me to write another fic based on this timeline. There really are just so many possibilities and I do enjoy messing with canon so lol.

**As always I love to read your reviews! And thank you for favoriting or following my story!**

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><p>"Tony," Abby pleaded. "You <em>can't <em>do this."

"I have to, Abby," Tony told her softly. He finished packing his bag and glanced at Abby. "Gibbs would do the same for me."

Abby fought hard with her tears. She knew that Gibbs was in trouble but why did it have to be Tony that went out to Somalia to save him? She wasn't sure she could handle loosing her entire team. And what about Kaitlin? She was only a baby. It wasn't fair to her that her father was going on this dangerous rescue mission. "It's suicide and you know it."

Tony slung the bag over his shoulder and sighed. "Saleem is already responsible for killing Ziva and her Mossad team. And who knows how many more innocent lives he's taken. If Gibbs and Cryor are still alive than I'm going to find them and bring them home."

He made his way out of his bedroom and down the stairs. Kaitlin was playing in her activity center and Jimmy Palmer was watching her. She was blissfully unaware that her father was about to leave her-and may never be returning. Tony bottled up his emotions and went to scoop her out of the play center and kissed her cheek. "Hey peanut, I need to talk to you for a bit okay?"

Kaitlin cooed and smiled at him, breaking his heart into about a million pieces. Tony went and sat down on the sofa. "Daddy has to go away for a while okay? But you're going to stay here with Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Abby and I'm sure Grandpa Ducky will stop by to see you as well. Alright?"

"Tony..."Abby started to cry.

"Now," Tony continued, ignoring Abby's tears as best he could. "You be good for Auntie Abby and Uncle Jimmy, okay?"

"Don't worry, Tony," Jimmy said, smiling at him reassuringly. "We'll take good care of her."

Tony kissed his daughter one last time before slipping her off his lap and onto Jimmy's. In that instant it was as if Kaitlin knew that he was leaving. Her little hazel eyes filled with tears and she whimpered, as if she was almost begging him. _Please,_ d_on't go Daddy. _He stood, turning away from her, unable to look at her sad expression.

Abby had tears running down her cheeks by now. Tony pulled her into a tight hug and made his way towards the door. McGee was waiting for him, Ducky as well.

"Everything is going to be fine here, Anthony," Ducky promised him, even as Kaitlin cried in the other room. "She'll be fine."

"I know, Ducky," Tony whispered, before reaching out and opening the door.

Ducky pat each agent on the back, gently and affectionately before they parted. "Anthony. Bring him home."

Tony simply nodded. "I will."

* * *

><p>It only took forty-eight hours to realize that Gibbs was more than just completely off the grid. He was no where to be found. Dunham had not seen or heard from him or found any evidence to suggest that he was a captive of Saleem since Tony had chatted with him in MTAC. Tony and McGee were beginning to worry that perhaps Gibbs was dead right along with Ziva.<p>

"How far is Saleem's camp from here?" Tony asked.

"Thirty miles or so. Trust me. He knows we're here. He's keeping an eye on us," Dunham replied. "Like we're keeping an eye on him."

Tony pursed his lips together. It had been the longest forty-eight hours of his life. The abrupt decision to go after Gibbs had left him in a bind when it came to childcare and Abby agreed to stay with Kaitlin at the house while he was away. She wasn't happy that both Tony and McGee were going after Gibbs but she couldn't come up with an arguable reason for the two to stay behind. "Do you think he has any captives?"

Dunham nodded his head. "He was one female captive for sure. Perhaps a male as well. There's been no sign of Gibbs when my scouts have gone to scope out the scene."

"Gibbs was a sniper, he knows how to blend in," Tony pointed out. "If that's what he's doing. My guess...my guess he's waiting low."

"Waiting low for what exactly?" Dunham questioned.

"The right moment to strike," McGee replied.

Dunham cocked his eyebrows. "Listen, I know that Gibbs is a crazy ass good agent, but even he isn't that crazy to _sneak _into a terrorist's camp jus to wait for the right moment to kill him. It would be suicide."

Tony glanced sideways at McGee. "Which is why we need your help, Chad. I've already talked to the Seal team. We just need you to coordinate them."

"You two seriously are going to do this?"

"Yep."

"Uh-huh."

Dunham sighed and signaled for the captain of the Navy Seal team to join them. "Okay then, but we better get working on this, because Saleem isn't going to stay in the same place for much longer."

Tony squared his shoulders and looked right at his partner. "Just get us the jeep, we'll do the rest."

"Agent DiNozzo," the Captain said, "You realize that once my men go in there, you run the risk of getting yourself killed?"

"Part of the job, Captain," Tony answered, setting his jaw. _Gosh that hurts. Why does that hurt so much?_ And then the answer hit him, so simple and one word- Kaitlin. "If there's any chance that Cryor, Gibbs, and that female captive are alive, we need to do this. You know your end of the deal right?"

The captain nodded his head. "Yes, sir. I do. We move in twenty-four hours after you leave."

Tony pulled his helmet on and nodded at McGee. "Let's do this, probie."

* * *

><p>Kaitlin was noticeably a different baby with her father away. Abby and Jimmy did their best to cheer her up, but it was being met with not so great results.<p>

Even the sight of her nanny on Monday morning did nothing to cheer her up. It was tearing Abby to pieces that the baby was so distraught that Tony was away. If only he knew how much she was suffering maybe then he wouldn't have gone on this stupid mission in the first place.

"Look, I bought Kaitlin a teddy bear," Jimmy said entering her lab. "Maybe this will help calm her."

"Her security blanket is Tony," Abby lamented with a frown.

Jimmy sighed and put the light brown bear down onto the desk. "I know, Abby. But I can't bring Tony back right now. He has a job to do and Agent Gibbs needs him. He was right when he said Gibbs would do the same for him. I know it sucks. We just have to hope and pray that everything works out in the end."

Abby looked at the teddy bear. "What if...Palmer what if they don't come back?"

He sighed. "I'd rather not think about that."

"I know that Tony wouldn't have been dumb enough to not make sure that he had a will, but I just...I just don't want to think about that baby losing him when her mother doesn't want her!" Abby exclaimed.

"Kids are incredibly resilient, Abby, if Tony were to...um...not make it back from Somalia, eventually she'd be fine."

"And forget all about him."

That was probably worse than the thought that Tony could die on that mission. His beloved baby girl never having any recollection of him because he was taken away from her when she was so small. Abby wiped at her eyes. There was no way to get in contact with McGee or Tony. They said they would contact NCIS when they found Gibbs and were on their way home. Both had seemed so confident that they were going to find him.

Jimmy reached out and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Come on, Abby. We just have to have some faith, that's all."

"I did pray for them in church yesterday," Abby admitted. "And I keep praying every free moment I get."

"See, that's the spirit," Jimmy said with a smile. "If we keep sending them good vibes they're bound to come home."

Abby sighed and hugged the teddy bear that Jimmy had bought to give to Kaitlin. Right now it wasn't helping her feel better but she prayed it would at least comfort Kaitlin for years to come.


	26. Never Any Doubt

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences".

**A/N: **

* * *

><p>Tony heard the door open and close. Slowly he opened his eyes and watched as the man moved towards him, a small leather bag in his hand. He prayed that what was in that bag was his demise because, quite frankly, he was getting tired of playing the game.<p>

Saleem moved towards him and unzipped the bag, pulling out a syringe of some kind. He grinned, coldly at Tony. "My men are concerned that we have American captives in our camp. Your presence makes them nervous, Agent DiNozzo. I have assured them that you are going to talk and we are going to get the details of your mission."

"Yeah? How do you figure that?" Tony snapped while Saleem inserted the syringe into his arm and released the drug into his system.

"Because I've just given you truth serum. My own design," Saleem boasted. "You will now tell me all I need to know."

Tony swallowed the bile in his throat. He'd never felt so vulnerable in his entire life. He couldn't hide behind masks or lies, the drug would make sure of that. It had already been the longest twenty-four hours of his life, being beaten and taken captive, being denied food or water. He just wanted this to end so he could go home to Kaitlin.

Saleem sat down in the empty chair across from the one that Tony was strapped too. "Now, Agent DiNozzo. What brings you to this part of the world? As far as I know I have not done anything to permit an investigation from NCIS."

"We're tasked with investigating crimes that involve the United States Navy and their families," Tony responded through clenched teeth.

"And I have committed a crime against one of those families?"

"Yes. Mine."

Saleem's eyebrows arched in interest. "Really? I had never heard of you before, Agent DiNozzo. I am curious, which family member have a wronged?"

Tony struggled against the truth serum. God, if he gave up Gibbs now, if Saleem truly had the man in his captivity, he would surely kill him. Perhaps he'd kill all of them. He tried to think of another, truthful answer and before he could stop himself, he blurted, "You haven't wronged her-not yet."

"Her? Your wife? Girlfriend?" Saleem ventured to ask.

"D-daughter," Tony ground out, heart hammering in his chest. He'd just given up his baby, his sweet, innocent Kaitlin, to this monster.

"Daughter," Saleem repeated, his smile deepening. "So. I will wrong her when I kill you. But that is the future. It does not explain why you are here, now, in the present."

Tony tried to look away. Maybe if he didn't make eye contact with Saleem he wouldn't have to answer the questions honestly. He knew that wasn't how this worked, but he had to give himself some kind of hope. "Missing marine," he said. "By the name of Daniel Cryor."

Saleem pursed his lips together. "I do not have any marines in my captivity. But, I highly doubt that one, missing marine, sent you here -alone, without backup. What is your real reason?"

"L-looking for...for a friend," Tony confessed. _NO! STOP! STOP BETRAYING GIBBS! _

"And this friend...you think he is here, with me?"

"Yes."

"Do you have proof?"

"N-not definitive, but my gut says yes."

Saleem leaned back in his chair. His dark eyes cunning and cold. "So, that is your mission then? To find your missing friend, that I might have in my captivity? Seems rather foolish to me, to risk your life on a whim. But I am curious. How exactly did you find me? I move my camp often so as not to be found."

Tony watched as the terrorist put his canteen to his mouth. He licked his lips, longing for a drink.

"Caffeine," Saleem stated. "Keeps the mind sharp."

"Caffeine was how we found you."

Saleem pulled back, glaring at the federal agent.

Tony grinned. "You had to have your Caf-Pow, huh Saleem?"

In an instant Saleem had lost the calm facade and thrown his canteen against the wall. Tony watched as the Caf-Pow leaked from the now broken container as the other man jumped from his chair and stomped out of the room. With the terrorist gone and out of ear shot, he whispered, "McGee? You okay?"

"Never better," McGee mumbled from the floor. "Any sign of Gibbs yet?"

"To be honest, I haven't seen much besides this chair," Tony snapped, his frustration clearly evident.

"And I haven't seen much but this floor. Doesn't mean he isn't here."

Tony didn't have time to respond. Saleem had barreled back into the room, a prisoner at his side, hood over the person's head. Tony's interest was peaked as the prisoner was shoved down into the chair opposite him and Saleem snapped, "Rumor has it that there are Navy Seals asking around about missing American agents. Now, one of you is going to tell me everything I want to hear and one of you is going to die. I will let you make that decision."

Saleem yanked the hood back before leaving and Tony came face to face with his mentor. Gibbs, even though had a swollen eye from a beating, managed to glare at the SFA through his good eye.

"DiNozzo," he snapped, "Do I even have to tell you how much trouble you're in?"

"S-sorry, boss," Tony managed to choke out, "couldn't leave it alone, I guess."

Gibbs didn't take his glare off of Tony as he asked, "You alright, McGee?"

McGee sighed. "Just happy to see you alive, boss."

"We get out of this-you're _both _fired."

Tony couldn't help the small smile that graced his features. Even in the midst of captivity his boss had not lost his bite. "Boss, do you honestly think that we came all the way out here...without a plan? Come on, that would be breaking every rule you ever taught us."

Gibbs looked at him incredulously. "Are you telling me you two wanted to get captured?"

"Had to give the Seals a reason to come in here, guns blazing."

"Vance know about this?"

"Approved it himself."

"What about Kaitlin?"

Tony winced. Of course Gibbs would bring the subject of his baby up. "She's with Abby and Jimmy. They're staying at the house with her, you know to make it more comfortable for her while I'm gone."

Gibbs continued to frown at him. "DiNozzo, you should have left well enough alone."

"C-can't, boss, always...always been a character flaw I've had."

"Always one I liked about you, DiNozzo."

Tony felt his heart race. Of course it would take this near death experience, looking their fate in the eyes, for the boss to admit something like that to him. He wished he knew what to say but nothing would come out, and the door was opening again.

Saleem stalked towards them and glanced out the window. "Have you made up your decision yet? Which one of you is going to die and which one of you is going to live? Because we are breaking camp soon. The Seals are getting too nosy."

"Those boys are going to be more than nosy in about a minute...Saleem," Tony drawled, "'Bout as long as you have left to live."

"How is that? You are still bound. You're lying."

"Can't. You drugged me with your truth serum, remember?"

Realization dawned on the terrorist's face as glass shattered above them. One, clean, simple shot went through the skull of their captor and he fell, backwards on the floor, his rivers of blood he'd boasted about changing the world, flowing beneath him.

For the three agents, there wasn't much time to react. Tony watched as McGee managed to use Saleem's discarded knife to cut his ties and scramble to his feet. He ran to cut his partner loose. He had one restraint done when the door kicked open. "Look out!" Tony shouted in warning.

McGee whirled about and fired the gun he'd stolen from Saleem as well. The terrorist fell dead at the door and McGee was able to finish freeing Tony. Both men worked on Gibb's restraints and helped him to his feet, supporting him between them. Now they had to focus on getting out of this camp alive. And it was going to be slow going because Gibbs was more injured than either of them thought. He had endured four days of captivity. Tony and McGee had only endured twenty-four hours. They still had plenty of their strength left and they were going to need all of it to drag Gibbs out of this camp.

McGee clutched the only weapon they had in his hand tightly. He wished that he could give it to Tony because truthfully Tony was the better shot, but Tony's dominate side was supporting the boss. They didn't have time to switch to give him the gun. They knew that the Seals were moving in, they could hear the automatic weapons fire. They just had to stay alive long enough to find the Seals and get the hell out of here.

But it wasn't going to be easy. McGee shot another terrorist dead before he could open fire on him, but there was another right behind him.

Tony saw the man's eyes flash with anger and hatred and he thought, remorsefully, _this is it._

Suddenly, from behind their would be killer was shot dead. Tony, McGee, and Gibbs stood there frozen as someone emerged from outside and blocked their sunlight.

"Agent Gibbs," the Seal captain said, smiling. "It's nice to see you sir."

"Captain Donovan," Gibbs greeted. "Those your boys out there?"

"Yes sir," Donovan said. "We're gonna get you and your agents home. Promise."

Gibbs smiled and urged his agents to keep moving. As they made their way out into the sunlight, more Seals coming to their aid, dragging each of them to a waiting humvee, the former marine whispered, "Never had any doubt you wouldn't."


	27. Broken Soul

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences"

**A/N: **Okay, there are two chapters left in this arc. Everyone keeps asking about Ziva and the female captive, those will be answered in this chapter, promise! I love to hear your thoughts on my story, so even if you are not comfortable leaving a review you can always PM me. Enjoy!

**RW- _I know that you want the Ziva mess to be put behind the team and get back to Tony and Gibbs, we're getting back there, promise, very soon. But I feel that there are still some loose ends to tie up in this story arch before moving on. Thanks for reading!_**

* * *

><p>Water had never, ever tasted so good before. Tony sucked down the bottle that the Navy corpsmen offered him, eagerly. He didn't even fight them when they checked his vitals. He was too happy to be alive and out of that camp.<p>

He knew that he was lucky. Cuts and bruises and dehydration. It could have been much worse. Probably would have been if he had been in Saleem's captivity much longer. Gibbs had not fared so well. His knee was sprained thanks to being beaten for information but the corpsmen was hopeful that the former marine was going to make a fully recovery. That was probably the best news Tony had heard all day.

"DiNozzo," Chad Dunham said, coming into the tent. "Someone is trying to reach you from MTAC."

"Vance?" Tony questioned, sitting up on his cot and rubbing his eyes. "Promised I'd be in touch once we had Gibbs."

Dunham shook his head. "No. Agent McGee already contacted the Director while you were being treated. Didn't sound like Vance on the feed. Sounded like a woman...and she had an infant with her."

Tony did his best to leap off the cot and follow Dunham to where he'd set up his satelite feed to video chat with MTAC. Sure enough there was Abby, Kaitlin plastered to her hip. "Abs? What...what are you doing?"

Abby smiled and pointed at the screen. "Look, Katie, look! See, Daddy is fine!"

Kaitlin glanced up and looked confused, for a moment anyways, at the screen, but when she recognized the face looking back at her, she smiled. "Da!" she exclaimed, pointing her little finger out herself at him.

"Yes! Daddy! She started doing that the other day! I wanted...I wanted to show you! And then Vance told us that you were all okay! So...so I asked if I could reach you through MTAC," Abby admitted. "Katie...she really misses you too, Tony."

Tony felt tears pressing the backs of his eyes. For so many different reasons. The emotional ramifications of the last four days hit him square in the face and along with that, his daughter was...well...perhaps starting to formulate words. He knew she was only eight months old, but he liked to believe that "Da" was her calling him "Daddy" and he wasn't going to let anyone talk him out of that. Quite frankly it was making him feel better at the moment. "Thanks...Abs. I miss her too."

Abby bit down on her lower lip. "When are you coming home?"

"Military transport leaves in about two hours," Tony replied. "The corpsmen was finishing up with Gibbs."

"Good. Get away from that awful place, Tony," Abby said, firmly.

Tony sighed, feeling the heavy weight he'd felt on his shoulders slowly lifting. He smiled softly at Kaitlin when he noticed that someone was approaching him and had a look on their face that they needed to speak to him, "Daddy will be home soon, peanut."

Kaitlin grinned and put a finger in her mouth. Tony blew her a kiss before he signed off, turning to face the approaching Navy captain.

Donovan paused before speaking. "Your daughter is beautiful, sir."

"Thanks. I miss her. Something I can do for you?"

"Yes...the female captive that we rescued from Saleem's camp...is requesting to speak to you."

Tony had yet to see the woman. He just knew that after the Seals had gotten him and his team in a humvee and well on their way to safety, they had found the female prisoner that Dunham had spoken about. "Sure. Let me just get my partner."

Donovan nodded and told Tony what tent to go too. Tony moved through the camp and found McGee using a bottle of water to wash the dirt and grim from his face.

"It's pointless to get the sand off until we get out of this desert."

"Yeah. But it makes me feel better."

"Captain Donovan says that the female captive wants to talk to us."

McGee looked at him, puzzled. "Why?"

Tony shrugged. "Maybe she wants political asylum. Who knows? I told him we'd at least speak to her."

"Did you speak to Abby?"

"Yes. Just got off an MTAC call with her."

"Good. I...I didn't have the time yet to let her know we were okay."

"Vance did."

McGee sighed again and began to walk side by side with his partner through the camp towards the tent that Donovan had directed them too. "Think it's going to take a long time to get over this one, Tony. I know that we...we made it out alive and all...but..."

Tony reached out and grasped McGee's shoulder tightly. "I know, Tim. Eventually we'll be fine."

His partner nodded, slowly. "Gibbs..."

"Going to make a full recovery. He's going to be confined to desk work for a while...but other than that he's alive and coming home with us, which wasn't that the point of our whole mission?" Tony asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Never did find Cryor."

"Wasn't at the camp apparently. Maybe he did just go AWOL. Dunham says he's going to handle the case from now on."

McGee nodded again. His entire body ached and he just wanted to get on the plane to go home, take a hot shower, eat a three course steak dinner, and just forget about the job for a long time. Maybe he'd call his sister and go visit her. Or Penny. He hadn't seen his grandmother in a long time. Vance was probably going to give them some time off anyways when they returned.

Tony let go of his shoulder and pushed the tent flap back, stepping inside. The tent was dark and his eyes needed to adjust from the bright sunlight outside.

Donovan was standing there, waiting for them. "Miss...these are the agents that you asked to speak too," he announced.

She muttered a soft, "thank you."

"Is there anyone we can contact for you?" Tony asked, his eyes adjusting enough to see the woman seated on a cot, head bowed.

"No," she said, with a limp shake.

"Do you need protection?" McGee asked.

Tony watched as her shoulders slumped further underneath the blanket that was draped over her shoulders. There was an uneaten ration pack next to her bed, an empty bottle of water. Her dark hair was a mass of tangles and her skin that was exposed was covered in cuts and bruises and cigarette burns. Tony winced at what this woman had been through. He opened his mouth to add on to what McGee had said, but she raised her head and he was frozen.

Her eyes were hollow as she replied, "Only from myself, McGee."

McGee's eyes widened when he realized they knew who was sitting on that cot. He glanced sideways at Tony, who was just as taken aback. "Ziva," Tony finally managed to choke out, "We thought...we thought you were dead."

"I might as well have been," Ziva David whispered, tears in her eyes. "I am glad that you, McGee, and Gibbs are alright."

"Little worse for wear but we'll be fine," Tony said with a shrug. He moved towards the cot and gestured towards the ration pack. "You should eat, Ziva."

Ziva shook her head. "I am not hungry. I was fully prepared to die in that camp. This...this was not a part of the plan."

McGee nervously looked at his partner. "Your father told NCIS that the team sent here to kill Saleem was dead."

"It was a lie. We lost two of our members. One had to return to Israel due to injuries. I went...I went by myself."

"Ziva," McGee gasped. "That...that was suicide!"

She looked up at the two agents, two men she had considered her friends just a few short months ago. "It was justified."

Tony took a deep breath. "Ziva, we know that you took the mission so your father would...lift the hit on me and Katie. You were protecting me and you didn't need to. Your life was worth more than this."

"Kaitlin is alright, I hope. She must miss you," Ziva said, ignoring him and looking away. "You should get home to her."

"Yes, Kaitlin misses me. But she's fine," Tony assured her. "And we're leaving in two hours. What's going to happen to you?"

"My visa has been revoked. I cannot return to the United States."

"So, you're going back to Israel?"

Ziva nodded her head. "It seems like the only option."

Tony and McGee stared at each other for a moment. How could they just turn their back on her? She was broken, beaten down-not the woman who had possibly betrayed them in May. "Give us two hours, alright?" Tony finally said. "We're gonna come up with another option, promise. Okay, Ziva?"

"I do not deserve your forgiveness, Tony," Ziva cried. "I betrayed you and almost cost you your life, Kaitlin her father. You should leave me and just forget about me."

"Not how it works," McGee said.

"Yeah," Tony agreed, "and besides, Gibbs says that one of my best character flaws is that I can't leave things alone. So, your father might be able to turn a blind eye and dismiss you, but that's not how we roll on this team. We're a family, a dysfunctional, messed up one, but still a family. And you do what you have to for that family."

Ziva's head dropped and she let out a soft whimper. It was the first time that either Tony or McGee had seen her cry. The female corpsmen that had been working on her, slowly sat down on the cot and engulfed her into her arms.

As the two men watched her break down into the woman's arms they realized something. Ziva David had _died _and this broken, lost soul now remained in her place.


	28. A Clean Break

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Truth or Consequences" (kinda)

**A/N: **This chapter was very difficult to write. I must have hacked and chopped and rewrote it a dozen times. I hope you enjoy it. :)

**RW, _I enjoyed earlier seasons' Ziva much more than I enjoyed later seasons' Ziva. I think the writers turned to her too often to provide drama. Instead of more personal episodes spread out over all the characters the major arcs seemed to go to Gibbs or Ziva, with the rest of the cast just playing supportive roles. Another reason I have enjoyed this season, I feel that we've gotten a much better balance of story lines spread out over the entire cast. Gibbs and his dad, the flashback episode of Tony as a cop, McGee and Delilah, and Jimmy's adoption process. Hope you enjoy some of the Tony and Gibbs interaction I put in this chapter :)_**

* * *

><p>Leon Vance stared at the screen in MTAC, not sure what to say exactly to his agents. From everything that Eli David had told him, Ziva was dead. Yet, DiNozzo and McGee had just spoken to her. <em>She <em>had been the female captive that Dunham kept reporting about. "Well, I'll be god-damned. Officer David was at the camp this whole time?"

DiNozzo nodded his head, arms crossed over his chest. "Appears that way. As far as we can tell, Director David knew that Ziva had gone to the camp alone. But we're not sure if he ever got confirmation that she was dead. I highly doubt the terrorists would have reached out and told him."

"Seems like we have a bit of a problem on our hands," Vance pointed out. "Ms. David's work visa has been revoked and her passport is only going to allow her visitation for so long. Eventually she'll have to go back to Israel."

"We think we've worked something out, Director," McGee said, eyeing Tony. "Ziva requests asylum."

Vance cocked an eyebrow. "Asylum? On what grounds?"

Tony licked his lips. "Fear of political persecution. Her father just uses her for his own gains. Eventually it will kill her-it almost already did."

"It's a bit of a stretch, gentlemen," Vance said with a shake of his head. "But I'll get on the phone with the right people. Perhaps, Ziva can stay at the Israeli embassy until her application for asylum is granted. I'll be in touch within the hour. Tell the marines to hold that plane until you here from me. Mission isn't over yet, boys."

* * *

><p>Tony made his way through the camp towards Gibbs' tent. He had yet to inform the team leader that they had found Ziva, alive, and that they were doing everything they could to make sure she wasn't sent back to Israel where she would no doubt be sucked back into Mossad for Eli David's political game.<p>

It was probably a stretch to be seeking asylum in this case but Ziva was right, her work visa had been revoked and her passport would only allow her a short period of time in the United States before she had to leave. At least with asylum she could stay and they could figure out another plan for her. It was the best they could come up with on such a short notice. Ziva needed a safe place to go to heal and start over, a clean break. She might never be able to work in law enforcement in America ever again thanks to the FBI investigation in May, but at least she wouldn't be sent home to the lion's den.

"Captain Donovan just informed me that the plane is being delayed an hour," Gibbs growled when Tony entered the tent. "Why?"

"Situation came up that had to be dealt with," Tony stated, softly. He pulled a chair up next to Gibbs' cot. "Ziva's alive."

His simple statement spoke volumes. Understanding dawned in Gibbs' blue eyes and he flopped back against the pillows. "She was the female captive in Saleem's camp. So...they killed the entire team but her."

Tony shook his head. "No. Ziva went to the camp alone. She told us that two of her men had died and one was wounded. She ordered him back to Israel and proceeded to Saleem's camp by herself. It was almost like...she was ready to die, boss. Broke my heart seeing her like this. She isn't the stone cold Israeli assassin I thought she was. At least not anymore. I think...I think that part of her died out here."

"You updated Vance yet?" Gibbs asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Fifteen minutes ago," Tony replied. "He was pulling some strings to get Ziva a safe place to stay."

"Her work visa has been revoked. She can only stay in the States as along as her passport lets her," Gibbs pointed out.

"We're hoping she can apply and be granted political asylum."

"Asylum? On what ground?"

Tony chuckled. "You sound like Director Vance. You guys channeling some kind of Jedi powers or something now?" Gibbs glared at him and he sighed, continuing, "Political persecution-religious persecution-take your pick, boss. Her father used her for his own political games and Saleem, well, we know what he did to her because she was Jewish."

Gibbs couldn't disagree with that. But getting Ziva back to America was thing. What was going to happen to her once she was there? It wasn't like she could come back to work at NCIS. The FBI's investigation that May had put that possibility to rest when it was discovered she had hid things from the team. He looked at Tony and saw a sincere look in his eyes. "You've already got some ideas, don't you?"

"Know a woman who runs a shelter for women that are the victims of sexual assault in Baltimore. Once Ziva gets asylum I'm sure she would help her and give her a place to live," Tony said, softly. "It's not perfect but it's better than sending her back to her father who could care less about her."

"Eli David already has it out for you, sure you want to poke the bear?" Gibbs inquired.

Tony cocked a grin. "Got a plan for that too, boss. Don't you worry. Tim and I have spent the last hour figuring everything out before we got on the video feed with Vance."

Gibbs smiled, wearily at his senior field agent. "Guess you were learning from me this whole time."

"I've always listened to your lessons, boss. Might not seem like I was at times, but trust me-I listened."

"Well, glad I wasn't wasting my time."

McGee popped his head into the tent at that moment. "Tony," he said, seriously, "Director Vance is on the video feed looking for us."

Tony nodded his head and stood up, stretching his back out as he went. Gibbs stopped them just before they left the tent, "Hey," he said, both agents turned to look at him, "take as long as you need to make sure she gets on that flight with us."

Both men flashed their boss a smile before leaving. They hadn't been fearful that Gibbs wouldn't be on the same page, but getting the confirmation that he was meant a lot to them. Now it was just a matter of all the pieces of this crazy puzzle to fall into place.

* * *

><p>Dusk was beginning to settle in on the camp by the time Tony returned to Ziva's tent. She had managed to stomach the rest of the ration pack and the nurse had given her more water.<p>

Tony pulled a chair up to her bed. "Glad to see you ate." She didn't respond. Tony sighed and continued. "Listen, I just got off the SAT phone with a woman in Baltimore. She runs this shelter for women who have been abused and sexually assaulted. She said she'd be willing to take you in. Director Vance has secured an application for asylum and the Israeli embassy is willing to house you until it passes. We've all agreed to not let Mossad know that we found you. Our reports will all show that we recovered a female prisoner of Middle Easter decent during the operation."

Ziva blinked back her tears. "Thank you...you did not have to do this for me. I do not...I do not deserve your kindness Tony or your friendship, not after what I did to you."

"I'd like to think that if Katie was ever in trouble she'd have friends like me to help her," Tony surmised. "Your father is a bastard, Ziva, he never loved you like a father should. And it's best if you go to Baltimore and start over. Get a clean break."

"Kaitlin...she is lucky to have you for a daddy, Tony," Ziva whispered. "I am sorry I ever doubted you."

Tony reached out and pat her hand gently. "Everyone makes mistakes." He reached into his pocket and produced a piece of paper. "Here, this the number of the woman in Baltimore. You can call her when you get back to the States. Because of your medical condition the military is arranging for you to have a medical transport in about an hour. She's agreed to meet you at Andrews', okay?"

Ziva took the piece of paper and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Okay. Thank...thank you, Tony."

He smiled at her, one last time and got to his feet. Dragging his aching body through the camp one last time, he grabbed his duffel up and joined McGee and Gibbs on the military transport back to Washington. Each agent had said their private good bye to Ziva and had promised to relay her messages back to the rest of the team upon their return.

Tony plopped down and secured his body in the crash webbing, glancing at McGee and Gibbs sitting across from him. Their marine pilot announced their take off time and the hatch closed, blocking out the sun. As the plane lifted into the sky he couldn't help but feel he had accomplished so much more than just rescuing Gibbs.

* * *

><p>Abby paced the length of the bullpen, anxiously. She knew that Gibbs, Tony, and McGee's transport had landed at Andrews' forty five minutes ago. They would be arriving shortly. Vance wanted to debrief them and then send them home to rest.<p>

Kaitlin was snuggled in her arms, head resting against her shoulder, struggling to stay awake. But every time she did drift off to sleep, the abrupt movements of Abby, woke her. It was making her rather fussy.

Ducky and Jimmy were waiting patiently with her. Both had offered to take the baby from her but she was refusing to let go. They had given up nearly an hour ago to try and coax the scientist to relax. So, they stood there, silently, with the occasional whine and cry from the baby. It wasn't until they heard the elevator signal someone's arrival that they all stopped and glanced in the direction of the noise.

Gibbs emerged from the cab first, hobbling slightly with the help of crutches, his leg in a splint. Behind him Tony and McGee followed. All three agents looked tired and worn, but they were alive and in the end that was all that mattered to them. The team leader made his way to his desk, dropping his bag down next to it, then flopping down into his chair.

No one spoke, they just made simple eye contact relaying all their emotions in simple glances. Until Kaitlin saw her father for the first time in days and broke into a grin, squealing, "Da!"

It was as if her simple sound broke the emotional dam, Tony pried her from Abby's grasp and hugged her tightly, trying to stop the flow of tears from his eyes. Abby then launched herself at McGee, and clutched him tightly in her grasp. Tony felt a hand pat him on the back and looked down to see Ducky smiling, fondly at him. Around them other agents and staff stopped to watch the reunion.

Gibbs glanced up to find Vance, standing above them looking down, clapping. In an instant the entire room was applauding them, rushing at them to greet them and congratulate them on a mission well done. He wasn't sure about that, but as he watched Tony smile and interact with Kaitlin who was responding to his every word and expression with smiles and laughs of her own, he thought that perhaps it was a job well done.

Their family was all in one piece. And that always signaled a successful mission to him.


	29. Well Deserved Time Off

**Warnings: **None for this chapter.

**A/N: **I was just wondering if there is anything that you readers would like to see in this story, if you want to leave suggestions, I'm open to them :). I'm not quite sure what I want to do with Ziva and I know that I want to introduce Senior. Would love to hear some feedback on what others would like to see just to get some ideas! Enjoy this next chapter!

**4/13/14 ETA: I've updated this chapter. I'd had my reservations about it when I posted it, but as a Guest reviewer pointed out the choice of Steve as Kaitlin's guardian didn't make sense. And the more I read it back, the more I didn't like it myself. So, I've changed the dialog between Gibbs and Tony at the end of this chapter to reflect that.**

* * *

><p>Tony woke up in the middle of the night, confused by the silence. In Africa there had always been sounds. Humvees and choppers, men shouting and gunfire. Here, back in Alexandria, all he could hear was the chirping of crickets through his open window.<p>

Staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom, Tony thought it was going to be easier to sleep that night. After all he'd been away from his bed and his daughter for nearly a week, not to mention his body had been through dehydration and food deprivation for twenty-four hours. He thought it would be easy to fall and stay asleep. Instead, he'd spent most of the night tossing and turning.

Deciding that he wasn't going to waste the rest of the night lying here, tossing and turning, Tony got out of bed and made his way down the hall, stopping just inside the doorway to Kaitlin's nursery.

He made his way into the nursery when he heard little sounds coming from the crib. Kaitlin was laying on her back, eyes wide open, babbling away to herself. Tony smiled down at the baby. "Hey, peanut, what are you doing up?"

Kaitlin smiled at him, while chewing on her little fingers. "Da," she said, grinning. It was the only sound she was making that sounded like a word and she seemed pretty proud of herself.

"Well, since you can't sleep, either," Tony said, reaching into the crib and lifting her out. "How about a movie?"

He carried the gurgling baby back into his bedroom and set her down on the bed. On his dresser he found a DVD and popped it into the DVD player. When he turned back towards the bed he noticed that the baby was transfixed by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing on the screen. Tony chuckled as he climbed onto the bed with her. "I knew you were going to love movies."

Kaitlin turned her little body to look at him. She smiled, showing off her new tooth. Perhaps that was one of the reasons she had been such a fussy baby while Tony was off finding the boss. Scooting on her bottom she moved towards Tony and flopped backwards with a giggle. He'd really taken notice since returning from Africa that his baby was developing quite the personality. In fact she often laughed at herself.

Right now she was on her back, playing with her bare toes, babbling away at them like she was talking. Every few seconds she'd squeal and laugh.

"Hey, don't leave me out," Tony said to her, tickling her tummy which caused a deep belly laugh to emerge from his daughter. "What's so funny?"

"Da da da," Kaitlin cooed, smiling at him. She was smart she knew that sound got the best reaction out of him.

"Yeah, I guess some people would say I'm funny," Tony admitted with a grin. Kaitlin gurgled and stuck a finger in her mouth.

Tony smoothed her hair back for a moment, watching her little expressions in the light from his television. "What should we do for the next couple of days? Director Vance gave the team time off. Said we deserved it. And now that Ziva is secure at the embassy no thanks to a little white lie from the ambassador that isn't particular found of Eli, I think we can all finally rest easy." _For now. _

Kaitlin continued to babble happily, listening to him. Tony suddenly knew where they should go. "Hey! How about a couple of days at the beach? Uncle Steve and Aunt Meg have a nice house there. And there's something I've been meaning to ask Uncle Steve."

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><p>Gibbs decided to sit out on his front porch that Sunday morning to read the newspaper. The fresh air felt good after spending four days in captivity and then a long, transatlantic flight to get home.<p>

Now that he was home, Vance had been kind enough to give the team a few days off. Gibbs hadn't heard from Tony since coming home. As far as he knew the senior field agent had gone to visit Steve Adler and his fiancé at their vacation home in Virginia Beach. He knew that when Tony returned he'd be showing up with Kaitlin in tow to check on him. McGee had stopped by to check on him once already before going to visit his grandmother and Abby was doting over him left and right.

He might have sprained a knee but he wasn't an invalid. Sighing, he turned the pages of the paper until he heard a car drive up. Not surprisingly Tony emerged, looking at peace for the first time in a long time.

"Thought you went to Virginia Beach?" Gibbs shouted to him as he got the baby out of the car.

"Kaitlin wanted to come see you," Tony threw back with a grin. "So we came back early."

Gibbs nodded and rolled his eyes. Kaitlin looked like she could care less where they were. She was dressed in a red short sleeve shirt and denim overalls and her hair was beginning to get long enough that Tony could clip it back with a tiny barrette. Gibbs knew that babies grew fast but this little one was growing up quickly right before their eyes.

Tony made his way up onto the porch and handed the baby to Gibbs when he put his paper down. Kaitlin looked at her father skeptically for a moment. "You're fine," he said to her. "It's Grandpa Gibbs! You love Grandpa Gibbs!"

Kaitlin turned her hazel eyes towards Gibbs and gave him an intense look. Gibbs chuckled. "Abby's right, DiNozzo. She does look a lot like you."

"Yeah, I see her mother in her though too, boss," Tony pointed out. "I...I almost called her the other day."

"Oh? Really?" Gibbs inquired, giving the baby a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Why?"

"Getting taken captive like that...got me thinking...I know that there would be plenty of people willing to care for Kaitlin...if...well you know," Tony said with a shrug, "but...before I went making any official decisions...I wanted to ask Amanda if she would...if she would be willing to take over for me if I...were to die on the job."

Gibbs glanced down at the baby, who was watching a couple walk their dog by the house. "She didn't want her after she was born...what made you think she'd want her if you were to die?"

Tony shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Because...deep down I like to think she left...she left Kaitlin because she had a way out...me. If I hadn't been an option...I'd hope she would have kept her."

"So...why didn't you call and ask?"

"I remembered that she mentioned she was going to get an abortion if I wasn't going to step up...she didn't want to be a mother, boss."

Gibbs stroked Kaitlin's soft locks of hair. Tony had sacrificed so much for this little girl. He'd thrown his entire way of life out the window at the drop of a hat just so her mother wouldn't abort the pregnancy. Tony had given this child a chance at life. "Did you end up picking someone to be her guardian?"

Tony laughed, softly. "It was a hard decision really. It comes down to I need someone that I can trust and that was the whole reason that I didn't call Amanda-I couldn't trust her."

Kaitlin snuggled against Gibbs chest and yawned. Gibbs continued to run his fingers through her hair. "You come up with someone that you trust then?

"Yeah...I um...well...guess this is why...I'm kinda here," Tony said, nervously. "I want...I want it to be you, boss."

Gibbs paused for a moment, then gently reached out and clamped a hand down on Tony's shoulder. "I'm honored Tony, but I hope it never comes to that."

Tony chuckled. "Me too, boss. Steve said he'd help write the new will."

"As long as we don't have to execute it."

"Couldn't agree more with you boss."

Kaitlin rubbed her eyes sleepily and fussed. Gibbs ran his hand along her back, gently stroking it to calm her. It didn't have the desired effect. She looked at Tony with big, hazel eyes and stuck her lower lip out. Tony gave in and scooped her off of Gibbs' lap. The baby girl settled into her father's arms and drifted off to sleep.

Gibbs smiled at the sight. "Abby and Jimmy said she was incredibly hard to put down at night. Palmer even bought her a teddy bear."

"She actually loves that bear," Tony replied. "But she has a new tooth. Just think she was teething again. It wasn't that she missed me."

"Bull, DiNozzo. You obviously didn't see that little face light up when she saw you get off that elevator," Gibbs snapped. "She knew you were gone and she didn't like it."

Kaitlin sighed in her sleep and Tony smiled at her, gently. "I wish I could promise to never leave her again, boss," he whispered, "but I just can't do that. Not with the job."

Gibbs nodded his head in understanding. "I get it, Tony. I really do. Broke my heart every time I was deployed-especially that last time before...before the accident."

Tony shifted his daughter slightly in his arms so he cold get a better look at his boss. "You never talk about the accident, Gibbs. All I know is that Shannon and Kelly were killed when their van went off the road. But I don't know...I don't know the circumstances of that. Never really bothered to look. Figured that was a breach of privacy. So...what happened? Ice? Drunk driver? Shannon lose control of the car?"

"Yeah...driver lost control of the car," Gibbs responded, distantly.

Immediately a thousand different red flags went up in Tony's head but he didn't have time to ask any questions. Gibbs was moving on and signaling that they were done talking about it.

"So," the former marine said, "you and Kaitlin staying for lunch?"

"Sure," Tony said with a fond smile. "We'd love too."


	30. Enough Woman For Me

**Warnings: Long response to Guest reviewer below. Spoilers for the case in "The Inside Man". **

**A/N: **To the **Guest** reviewer that left such a long and thought out response to the last chapter, I wish you had signed in so I could respond to you. I'd been reading over that chapter over on Sunday and I was actually having some of the same thoughts. I don't know why I had Tony pick Steve. I think he thought about Amanda at first because he has this desperate need to find a mother figure for Kaitlin. **If you go back and re-read the chapter you'll see that I've, ah, fixed this situation :)** Ziva was a different matter altogether. I did not want to kill her off but I did not want her to come back to the team. I understand that there are others out there that are not happy that I did bring Ziva back, but I know I cannot please everyone. She is going to be playing a very minor role here on out anyways. I don't take your comments as negative. Yours was a thought out response, with constructive critique which I don't mind or take personally. I hope you do pop back in and continue to read. And yes, I have more story ideas that I hope to start posting soon :)

**For everyone else: _Your feedback has been amazing. Thoughtful, even if you do not agree with what I've done. Also, you had some great ideas as well that I've put into my back pocket. Senior is definitely going to be making an appearance!_**

* * *

><p>As far as their cases went, they were pretty cut and dry since returning from Africa. The team settled back into their established routine, even if Vance was getting antsy that Gibbs had not picked a replacement yet for the spot that was vacated when Ziva left or even showed the slightest interest that he wanted a replacement.<p>

Tony knew how to work the team with just two members or just three members, after all he'd suffered at the hands of agents coming and going for two years before Kate had been hired. It was easy for him to fall back into that familiar pattern of having a bit more work and he knew what was expected of him.

McGee, on the other hand, was starting to struggle. The extra work and not knowing what the expectations were now obviously was beginning to test Gibbs' nerves, as well as McGee's. Tony had done his best in the last few days to deflect the boss' anger but even the SFA was beginning to see that they needed to find a new agent. It was time.

So, that was why Tony found himself sitting in the driveway at Gibbs' house after crossing the street to pick up Kaitlin. Armed with a pizza, a six pack of beer, and the baby herself, Tony went inside.

"Hey boss!" he called out cheerfully, "Brought some pizza!"

"In the basement!" Gibbs called back.

Tony grinned and made his way towards the basement. "Baby's first time in the basement, wish I had my camera peanut. This is a big first moment for you. Finally, you get to see the boat!"

Kaitlin didn't seem impressed by that as her father made his way down the steps. She was probably even less impressed, Tony realized, when there was no boat.

"Boss? What happened to the boat?"

"Not here anymore, DiNozzo."

"Well, yeah I can see that. But...how...how did you get it out of the basement?"

Kaitlin decided that she was bored and fussed. Tony took her out of her little pink windbreaker and laid it on the work bench next to the pizza. He then found a jar of applesauce, a spoon and a bib in her bag. He popped the top open and put the bib on her, gently sitting her on the work bench to feed her.

Gibbs chuckled and opened the box of pizza when Kaitlin turned her head away and refused the baby food. "Think she wants a slice of pizza, Tony."

Tony frowned at her. "Yeah, well...not sure pepperoni is going to sit well in her tummy."

"We'll just have to peel it off," Gibbs said, scraping off the sausage and pepperoni that Tony was fond of on his pizza.

"Boss...she's only nine months...I dunno," Tony sputtered, watching as Gibbs cut the pizza into tiny pieces.

"She has teeth, Tony," Gibbs pointed out, simply. "She eats fruit and veggies. Why not pizza?"

Tony knew that he was somehow not going to win this argument. So, he gave in trying to feed the baby the applesauce, and instead watched as Gibbs fed her tiny pieces of pizza. Kaitlin was thrilled, smiling after each bite and reaching her hands out to get more. She was so eager that Tony had to grab onto her waist to keep her from falling off the table.

Gibbs finished giving her the pizza and went back to eating his own slice. "What brings you by, Tony? Know it wasn't to bring me pizza."

"Oh, well...I...I think it's time to fill the empty desk."

"Yeah. I agree."

"You do?"

With a heavy sigh, Gibbs nodded his head. "Yeah. Vance has given us as much time as he possibly can. And...you and Tim have pulled more than enough weight since Ziva left."

Tony eyed his boss cautiously for a moment. "So...what are you going to do?"

"It's not what I'm going to do, DiNozzo. It's what _we _are going to do. As a team."

* * *

><p>Of course things didn't go according to plan and they caught a case-well not their case, it was actually Metro's. However, it involved a man that had been slamming NCIS for a while now and Gibbs' gut was tingling that they needed to find out who killed him.<p>

It wasn't going to be easy since the Metro Detective, Sportelli, suspected that perhaps NCIS was involved in Matt Burns' death. If the man only knew the half of what NCIS had been through in the last month alone, well, he might have changed his story. After all the team had been too busy tracking Gibbs in Africa to _really _take notice to what Burns' was writing about them. Tony had spent the morning interviewing witnesses and running from Metro when they finally caught up to him.

At least he had the entertainment of Susan Grady, who had a serious crush on McGee. The polygraph lady had McGee in such a tizzy about his test. Tony knew immediately why the woman wanted to see him again. There were times that McGee really was naïve when it came to the opposite sex. He knew he should probably point it out to Tim, but he was enjoying the look on the younger man's face every time Susan called him to reschedule the test.

He promised himself once they got back from the impound yard he'd do just that. Except things didn't go according to plan and they'd ended up in a holding cell.

Gibbs hadn't been happy about that. Eventually Vance had bailed them out and the boy went back to NCIS with their tails tucked between their legs. At least the trip had led them to Arnett's body. And by the end of the day they had cleared NCIS' name, found Burns' killer, and they'd done without a full team.

"I think," Abby said with a smile at closing time, "This calls for a drink!"

"Can't," Tony replied, swinging his backpack over his shoulder. "Kaitlin has already been with the nanny for an extra hour."

"Aw, Tony, we haven't been out for drinks as a team in...well...nine months!"

Tony sighed and shut his desk lamp off. Yes, he'd spent a lot more time outside of NCIS with his teammates since Kaitlin had been born but not without the baby. "I'll check with the nanny and see if she can stay later on Friday or recommend a good baby-sitter, okay?"

Abby held out her pinky. "I'm going to pinky swear you to this, Tony. It's great that you're so dedicated to Katie, but _you _need time by yourself, having fun."

Gibbs choose that time to enter the bullpen. "No time for fun. Gear up." Both agents groaned and Gibbs grinned, slightly. "Got a jumper."

"Boss...I have to go relieve the nanny. She's been there over an hour longer than normal," Tony countered.

"I'll go, Tony," Abby offered. "Katie and I haven't had any girl time this week."

Tony threw her a look. "No tats or piercings Abby!"

Abby glared at him. "But she'd look so cute with earrings!"

"No, Abby," Tony growled as he followed his team out of the bullpen. Why did he get the feeling she wouldn't listen?

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><p>When Tony made it home that night, Kaitlin was already fast asleep and he was grateful that he found her without earrings. But Abby had painted her toenails black. Nail-polish he could deal with, permanently maiming his baby with ear piercings-not so much.<p>

Tony reached into the crib and pulled the blanket that Kaitlin had kicked off back over her. The air was beginning to get that fall chill so he went to close her window. Turning about he noticed that Abby had fallen asleep in the rocking chair, holding onto the teddy bear that had been given to Kaitlin by Jimmy. "Abby," Tony said, quietly shaking her shoulder. "Wake up."

"W-what time is it?" Abby asked as she woke up.

"Little after two," Tony replied. "Why don't you crash in the guest room? I'll make us breakfast in the morning."

Abby stretched and got up from the chair, putting the teddy bear down. "Wow. Never thought I'd get the morning-after treatment."

Tony chuckled at that as he led her to the guest room. "Actually, there haven't been any morning afters, not since I found out that Amanda was having Kaitlin. Just haven't had time to go out and find a woman. And I don't know...one night stands...flings...well, that was what got me in trouble in the first place."

"I'm sure there are lots of women out there that are looking for a guy like you," Abby said.

"A guy with a baby?" Tony asked with a chuckle.

"Sure! Why not?"

"Are you suggesting that I start dating again?"

"Maybe," Abby replied. "If you did I'd be willing to baby-sit. Sure McGee would too or Jimmy!"

Tony turned the blankets down for Abby and smiled, softly. "Sounds like you might be trying to set me up."

Abby pursed her lips together, thoughtfully. "Would going out on a date be so bad?"

"No, just not ready for it yet, that's all," Tony admitted.

Down the hall Kaitlin started crying, ending their conversation. Tony told Abby to get into bed and then went to check on the baby. Tony took her out of the crib, changed her and then wrapped her into her blanket. He walked slowly over to the rocking chair and sat down, gently rocking her back and forth to calm her down. Her green eyes settled on his face for a moment as she sucked on a pacifier and he thought about what Abby had said. Did he want to date again? Sure. But did he have the time right now? No. Besides, the next woman that came along, she had to be serious about not only him but his daughter as well. It wasn't just him anymore. Tony and Kaitlin came as a packaged deal.

Tony smiled at her, running his finger along her cheek. "You know something, peanut, I think you're enough woman for me right now, but maybe, someday, I'll be ready. Just can't pick anyone to be a mommy to you. She has to be really special. And special..well that can take some time to find. For now, I think I enjoy just being Daddy."


	31. Senior

**Warnings: **

**A/N: **Hello everyone! Sorry for the slight delay, I have been busy this week getting ready for Easter and did not have a lot of time to write. Next installment probably won't be up until next week with the holiday and I'm going to watch the Boston Marathon on Monday so not a lot of time to write unfortunately. Enjoy!

**reena01, **_I tried to respond to you in a PM but it seems you have that feature disabled. So, I'll respond here. First of all, thank you for your kind words and I'm glad you are enjoying the story, but I actually went back and rewrote the chapter dealing with Kaitlin's guardian. You might want to go back and read it. Steve didn't feel like the first choice that Tony would come up with. At least to me anyways. I posted that chapter before really reading it over and then later regretted it. _

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><p>Tony watched as Kaitlin crawled through the pile of leaves, dispersing them once again across the grass, and giggled madly. Tony had given up raking twenty minutes ago when Kaitlin had discovered she liked playing in them. So, instead of wasting his time raking up leaves that his daughter was gong to eventually toss back around the yard, Tony had just played with her.<p>

Kaitlin found the fallen leaves quite amusing. She'd pick them up and inspect them, toss them, crawl through them and laugh the entire time while doing it.

By the time the sun had dipped low enough that there was a chill in the air, Tony had snapped so many photos of his daughter he couldn't count. Snatching her up in one arm, he made his way back inside the house, leaving a trail of leaves behind him.

"Time for dinner," he announced cheerfully, helping the baby out of her jacket and hanging it up. He put her in her high chair and went to the cabinet. "How about some chicken nuggets and peas?"

Kaitlin grinned and slapped her hands down onto the tray, giggling. In no time, Tony was sitting at the counter island with her, eating his own dinner of beef stew that Mrs. Bradley had made for him, while making sure that Kaitlin didn't get too greedy and shove too much food into her mouth. He had enjoyed feeding her before but now that they actually ate together, he enjoyed it even more.

Tony smoothed her hair back while she worked on putting the peas into her mouth. At the feel of his touch she looked up and offered him a pea, "Da?"

"Oh thank you," he said with a smile as he let her put the pea in his mouth. Her smile was a sweet one, the one she reserved just for him. She was just about to give him another one when his cell rang. He reached into his pocket and pulled it out, noticing that it was a number from New York. _New York. That could only mean..._"Hi Dad."

"_Junior," _his father said, coolly, "_I just got off the phone with the bank. What happened to all that money that was left to you?"_

"Um...the money that mom left?"

"_Yes, and your grandfather. There was close to three million dollars in there."_

Tony glanced at Kaitlin. He had taken the money out after she had been born in fear that his father would freeze him out of the money once her learned about the baby. "I...I moved it to a bank down here in D.C that's all. Still have it."

His father cleared his throat. "_I've been meaning to come visit you, Junior. My secretary said you called while I was in Europe." _

_Oh yeah, Dad, I called while you were off with your latest snow bunny skiing the Alps to inform you that you have a granddaughter, and that was, nine months ago! You're just calling now? _Was what he wanted to say, but instead replied with, "Yes...there...there was something that I...wanted to talk to you about."

"_What did you do now, son? Are you in trouble?"_

_"_No! I'm not in trouble. I'm fine. It's just...there's been a big change in my life...that you should know about."

"_Change? Did you get married?"_

Tony watched as Kaitlin finished up her chicken nuggets and looked at him eagerly. She wanted her bottle and if he didn't feed it to her _now _she was going to tantrum. He could feel it. Balancing the phone on his shoulder he got the baby out of her high chair and went to the fridge to find a bottle. "No," he answered his father, "I didn't get married...I...I have a daughter."

Senior was silent on the other end. It was probably the first time that Tony had ever rendered him speechless, except when he'd told his dad that he wanted to become a cop. Finally, the older man let out a sigh. "_That's your big news? You got some woman pregnant. I hope you're paying her child support and doing your part, Junior. I may not have been the best father but you never wanted for anything."_

_Besides love, of course, _Tony thought angrily. "Dad...I...I wasn't clear. The baby lives with me. _I'm _the custodial parent."

"_Are you going to leave NCIS?"_

"What? Why?"

"_Junior. Babies are expensive! You'll use that three million up in now time!"_

Tony rolled his eyes while he warmed up Kaitlin's bottle. "Gee thanks, Dad. I wasn't aware of that. Glad you're not concerned for my safety."

Senior let out a slow breath. "_Of course I worry about your safety. But...you need...this is a huge responsibility."_

Kaitlin fussed slightly as Tony sat down in the living room and guided the bottle into her mouth. Her little eyes locked with his and Tony didn't care what his father said anymore. He didn't need Senior's approval about his decision to keep Kaitlin because if he was honest if he'd told his dad before he'd brought her home-he wouldn't have changed a thing.

"Maybe you should come to Washington to meet her."

"_Well, it won't be until after the holidays..."__  
><em>

Tony closed his eyes and cursed, inwardly. "Fine. Just...just give me a call when you do decide to come."

Senior cleared his throat. "_Sure. Sure. It was nice talking to you, Junior."_

_"_Yeah...you too, Dad."

He heard a click in his ear and knew his father had hung up, without even asking the baby's name. Tony knew he shouldn't be surprised but he'd hoped that his father would be a bit more...receptive of Kaitlin. "Whatever," he whispered to the baby, "we don't need him."

* * *

><p>Gibbs knew something was off with Tony the moment he laid eyes on his SFA. Normally after spending a weekend with Kaitlin, Tony was smiling and relaxed. Today his shoulders were tense and he had a stern expression on his face. "Tony...you're in early," he observed.<p>

Tony glanced up from his work and tossed the older man a tight smile. "Thought I would come in and get a head start on those personnel files."

"Everything all right at home?" Gibbs asked, studying Tony's face. "You buzzed out of here like a bat out of hell on Friday."

"Yeah...yeah everything is fine at home. Kaitlin and I spent the weekend playing in the yard," Tony replied. "Actually, I was trying to rake the leaves but she...had other ideas."

Gibbs' brow furrowed in concern. Tony hadn't called him all weekend to ask any pressing questions about babies, so...he didn't think that meant Kaitlin was sick. But there was something troubling the younger agent. But before he could press Tony anymore, the elevator doors slid open and McGee stepped off, sipping his coffee and carrying a bag of pastries.

McGee cheerfully plopped the bag down onto Tony's desk. "Got your pastries and a latte."

"Oh...thanks, McGee," Tony muttered, "You didn't have to do that."

"It was my turn today," McGee argued before going to his desk. "Everything ok?"

"Everything is _fine,_" the senior field growled. "Now, will everyone please stop asking me that?"

Gibbs softly shook his head at McGee to stop the junior agent from continuing the conversation. He would speak to Tony later, alone, and get to the bottom of this. But, Tony couldn't feel cornered or he definitely wouldn't talk. It was best to either let things progress naturally to the point where Gibbs could ask the senior field agent again, or Tony felt comfortable talking to him. For now, they needed to get back to work. Starting with a long list of interviews for the empty desk.

* * *

><p>"My dad called," Tony whispered several hours later while sitting in the car with Gibbs.<p>

"Why?" Gibbs asked, looking at Tony.

Tony shrugged. "Not really sure. He found out that I took the money from my trust fund in New York and put it in a bank here in D.C. I guess he just wanted to make sure that it hadn't been stolen from me."

Gibbs looked out the window at the passing traffic while they drove back to NCIS from a coffee break. "Did you tell him about Kaitlin?"

"Yeah...I told him," Tony sighed. "Not sure...not sure how he feels about it. Seemed more concerned about...well...my finances."

"He doesn't want to meet her?"

"Told me he couldn't make it down here until after the holidays."

Gibbs gripped the steering wheel tightly. He knew very little about Anthony DiNozzo, Senior, because Tony offered very little up about him. But...this...this was unacceptable. The man couldn't even make time to be with his son and granddaughter. Gibbs would give anything for Kelly to be alive, to have grown up and had her own children. Instead, her life had been cut short. This man didn't know the gift that he had in his son and granddaughter. "Aw, hell Tony. You can't change him."

Tony sighed and leaned back in his seat. Even though he'd told the baby that they didn't need his father, it still hurt that his dad didn't want anything to do with them. "Yeah. I know. Doesn't stop me from...wishing."

"Listen, Tony," Gibbs said, gently, "Kaitlin isn't lacking any affection. She gets plenty of it from you and Abby alone. But then you add on everyone else in her life and...she's going to be just fine...with or without your dad."

"I know," Tony replied. "One of the reasons why I didn't leave her to my dad in my will. He didn't do a great job raising me. You've been more of a father to me anyways."

Gibbs could only pray that Kaitlin would never be handed over to him to raise. As much as he loved that little girl it would break his heart to have to watch her grow up without Tony. "Family is more than just DNA."

Tony smiled, fondly, "Yeah, it is."


	32. Katie's First Halloween

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Code of Conduct", "Outlaws and In-Laws", and "Boxed In".

**A/N:** Sorry about the long wait for an update. I have been sick with a nasty head cold this week and didn't feel very much like writing. Just starting to feel better today and I'm on vacation next week so I hope I get more writing in! Until then, enjoy!

**Dis- _T__here is going to be a face to face meeting with Senior and Kaitlin later._**

**S-_Don't worry! There will be plenty of Gibbs and Kaitlin grandpa moments later to come :). _**

* * *

><p>"Abby?" Tony questioned when he entered the lab late on Halloween, "What have you done to my daughter?"<p>

"I dressed her up as a panda for Halloween!" Abby exclaimed, showing off his daughter dressed in a fuzzy costume, a nose painted on her face. "Doesn't she look adorable! Everyone down in the Armory loved her!"

Tony wasn't sure what shocked him more-the fact that Abby had used make up on his daughter or the fact that she had taken her down to the Armory where all the weapons were stored. "When I asked if you could pick her up from the nanny's I didn't mean to bring her back here and parade her around to get candy."

Abby grinned and looked at the bowl of candy that she had collected with Kaitlin. "I was on my way back to your house when Gibbs called, he needed me to run some tests for him. Katie was more than happy to sit in her walker and zoom around the lab while I worked."

"You put her in her walker around all these machines and chemicals!" Tony gasped, snatching Kaitlin out of Abby's arms. "The lab isn't baby proofed! In fact, this whole building is dangerous to babies!"

"Relax, Papa Bear," Abby said, "I made sure everything that was dangerous to her was out of her reach or locked up."

Tony hugged Kaitlin tightly, who happily babbled away. "Sorry, Abs," he muttered. "I know that you would never, ever put her in danger, intentionally anyways. Guess...guess I'm stressed out."

Abby frowned at him, sadly. "The Korby case is closed, Tony. You caught the prankster's killer and she's going to jail. You should go home and rest."

Kaitlin, as if on cue, waved her small hand in front of one of Korby's motion sensing decorations and set it off, giggling. Tony wasn't going to begin to question why she found it so amusing. He sighed and rubbed her back. "Yeah, I probably should get my little Panda cub home-it's passed her bedtime."

"It was her first Halloween, Tony! It's alright that she's up late!" Abby said with a grin. "Oh! Here!" She reached for something on her desk and handed him a photograph of Kaitlin, grinning from ear to ear dressed up in her costume. "Another one for your desk."

"Thanks," Tony said with a smile. "I don't know what I'd do without you photographing her so much."

Abby smiled. "You'd have no photos of your daughter that's for sure."

Tony gave her a mock glare and said good night, taking Kaitlin back up to the bullpen with him. It was a slower process than normal, because if anyone was still left in the building they were stopping to 'oooo' and 'awww' at the baby, who lapped up the attention. By the time he got back to his car it was well after nine o'clock and he was sure he was going to be feeling the effects of the baby staying up way too late come tomorrow.

But it didn't matter. He'd been given a few hours off and perhaps they both could sleep in. He strapped her into her car seat, planting a kiss on her forehead one last time before slamming the door shut. When he made it home, Kaitlin had been lulled to sleep by the moving SUV.

Gently he eased her out of the car seat and made his way upstairs to her bedroom. He found some pajamas in her crib, changed her, wiped the bear nose off of her face and gently laid her down into the crib. Her little eyes opened and she whined a little. Tony reached up and started the mobile which began to play a lullaby and it eased her back to sleep. "'Night my little panda," he said with a kiss to her cheek before going to turn in for the night himself.

* * *

><p>McGee wasn't surprised when he showed up for work late the next morning that both Gibbs and Tony were already there. Neither agent knew what it meant to take a few hours off.<p>

Dropping his gear by his desk, he noticed the new photograph that was framed on Tony's. Kaitlin was wearing a panda bear costume and she had a little black nose painted on her own. "Abby," McGee said with smile and shake of his head.

"Hey," Tony said coming into the bullpen carrying a folder. "You're here early."

"It's ten o'clock," McGee pointed out.

"Yeah. Vance gave us the morning off."

"So, why didn't you take it?"

Tony looked up from his file with a shy grin. "Well, my daughter doesn't understand the meaning of a morning off or sleeping in. We were up at the same time, like usual, and I just stuck with her routine."

McGee glanced at the photograph again. "See she survived her first Halloween," he mused. "What happened to the candy?"

"Abby has it. I think she enjoyed getting it more than Kaitlin," Tony said with a shrug.

"Don't bet on it. Kaitlin loves her time with Abby."

"Yeah. Why do I get a feeling that's going to come back and haunt me when she's older?"

McGee chuckled and sat down at his desk, booting up his computer. "Are you afraid that Abby is going to introduce Kaitlin to piercings and tattoos?"

Tony scowled. "I used to think that the tattoos on Abby were sexy-now that I picture my daughter with one, ugh, McGee-why would anyone do that to their body?"

"Art."

"Yeah well, I hope my daughter finds a different form of art to express herself."

"Why not teach her how to play the piano?"

Tony looked at him, surprised for a moment. "How...how did you know I could play the piano?"

McGee shrugged. "Ziva mentioned once that you said you took lessons as a child, because your mother wanted you to learn."

He nodded, not sure what to say. Yes, he had taken lessons when he was a child. And he remembered that his mother played the instrument beautifully. It was one of the reasons he had striven to learn how to play after his mother had died. He wanted some kind of connection to her. "Yeah..." he choked out, "My mom...she was good. Teacher she hired to teach me...not so much. After she fired her...well she taught me herself, as much as she could until she died."

"What happened after she died? Did you father pay for lessons?"

"Taught myself."

"What?"

"I said, I taught myself."

McGee knew that Tony was smart, had a fantastic memory for movies but he never knew he was gifted in music. Of course, Tony bottled up so much about himself and put on such a false mask that McGee wasn't sure what was real with the SFA at times and what wasn't.

Tony having this baby had certainly changed him. He wasn't hiding as much anymore and McGee was learning some startling things about his partner that he never knew. And if he was honest with himself, Tony was much happier now that the masks were dropped and he was showing the others his true self.

"Hey, let's go," Gibbs said coming into the bullpen. "Some idiot kids thought they could drag race using their father's car on base."

"Very _Fast and Furious _of them," Tony mumbled as he climbed to his feet. "Guess the father must be pissed."

Gibbs chuckled as they climbed into the elevator. "Well yeah, DiNozzo. It was a vintage Corvette."

* * *

><p>So drag racing teens weren't their normal case, but Tony was happy when it was wrapped up and he could go pick up Kaitlin early. He packed up his gear and shut his light down, glancing at the empty desk across from him.<p>

He was getting used to it being empty more and more each day. He hadn't checked in with Ziva since she had been moved to the shelter, deciding that she was going to need her space. Tony knew she was doing alright thanks to his contact at the shelter but he hadn't heard from Ziva herself. Sighing, Tony grabbed his backpack and headed towards the elevator.

When the doors opened he wasn't surprised to see Gibbs standing there, folder in hand. "Hey boss."

"Been looking over your recommendation to fill the empty desk," Gibbs said, looking at him. "Interesting choice."

"She's proven her worth as an cryptologist, and she scored high in all her FLET-C training," Tony pointed out.

"Her superiors were worried about her nervousness. She has no field experience."

"Neither did Tim and I'd like to think we've made a fine field agent out of him."

Gibbs pursed his lips and nodded his head. "Think you have that kind of magic still in you, DiNozzo?"

Tony looked at him, confused for a moment. "Sure. Got Tim to help me this time."

"Good. She starts Monday."

"Monday? That...that fast?"

"DiNozzo, it's been six months since Ziva left. I think it's time."

Tony dumbly nodded his head. "Of course, boss."

Gibbs eyed him cautiously before asking, "Why don't you and Kaitlin come over for dinner tonight? Think it's time to introduce her to steak, cowboy style."

Instantly the SFA's face brightened. "I think she'd like that, boss."

"Good, go pick her up and meet me at my house. Just have a few things to finish up here and I'll be heading home."

"On it boss," Tony said happily before disappearing out of the elevator towards his car. Gibbs just shook his head and smiled after him.

* * *

><p>Kaitlin was crying from the guest room. Gibbs looked up from his reading to see that Tony had passed out cold on the sofa. Closing his book he got up and proceeded up the stairs.<p>

The baby was sitting up in her portable crib, whimpering. Gibbs smiled at her and lifted her out, kissing her on top of the head. "You're okay, sweetheart. Daddy's just downstairs. Nothing to be scared of."

She whined and squirmed in his grasp. Gibbs rubbed her back to hush her while he walked downstairs. He gently stepped into the living room. "See?" he whispered to her, "Daddy's right there...sleeping. Why don't we go into the kitchen and have a midnight snack and let Daddy sleep, okay?"

He had brought Kelly's old high chair down from the attic for Kaitlin a while ago and just left it in the kitchen. Placing her in the old chair now, he found some graham crackers in the cabinet and broke them up for her into small bites. Kaitlin studied them for a moment before beginning to eat them. Gibbs smiled as he sat down at the kitchen table with her, sipping a beer he had found in the fridge.

Kaitlin looked up and noticed him sitting there. She held out a piece of the cracker to him and grinned. How could he resist such a sweet face? And as he took her offering, he was very much aware she knew the power she held over the men in her life.

"You're a smart little baby," Gibbs said after finishing his snack. "You get that from both your mommy and daddy I'm sure."

His cell phone rang and he reached into his pocket, never taking his eyes off of Kaitlin. "Yeah, Gibbs."

Vance was on the other line, "_We're needed in San Diego-your boat was found, with bodies."_

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: _**_so, there is a new agent coming, soon, but before I introduce her into the story, I just wanted some feedback in what others would like her to be like. FYI it is an OC and not Bishop. _


	33. Trouble

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Outlaws and In-Laws".

**A/N: **Thank you everyone for your feedback on the new agent! My plan is to make her more like Bishop and less like Ziva/Kate. One of the reasons I have loved this season so much is the sibling like bond between Tony/McGee/Ellie and I think to keep up with the family like theme of this story, the new agent should fit into that mold. Enjoy! **And thank you for your continued support even if you just read, seeing the amount of views this story gets is noticed and appreciated :)**

* * *

><p>Mike Franks was back. And with him trouble. Tony should have known when NCIS had been notified that Gibbs' boat had been found with bodies on it that it was going to lead them back to Franks.<p>

He wasn't surprised when Gibbs sent Tony to his house to keep an eye on Leyla and Amira and that Franks was in town. The man had a habit of just showing up. He couldn't complain too much. It had been a relatively quiet day and the team was sure that the men who had been put into Gibbs boat and found by the Navy had been after Mike not Leyla and Amira.

Leyla had made dinner while Tony was waiting for McGee to come and relieve him. Mrs. Bradley had walked Kaitlin across the street and the baby had been thrilled to have a playmate in Amira who was curious about the baby. It was probably the first child she had contact with since her mother had fled Iraq.

Tony watched as Amira played with Kaitlin on the floor. The baby laughed and clapped her hands when Amira picked up one of her rattles and shook it.

"Your daughter is full of life, Tony," Leyla pointed out joining him on the sofa. "She is the first baby Amira has ever seen."

"Katie loves anyone who will play with her," Tony said with a shrug. "She's a people person."

"And a daddy's girl," Leyla replied, smiling. "She was very happy to see you when Mrs. Bradley brought her by."

Tony watched as Kaitlin crawled on all fours towards a pile of toys and found what she was looking for, a bear that when it's string was tugged played _Hush Little Baby. _She held it out to Amira, as if she was encouraging her to play. "She's my whole life. The reason I get up every morning and the reason I go home every night. I can't imagine my life without her now."

Leyla sipped her tea. "It is sad then that her mother did not want to be apart of her life. Children are a precious gift. I commend you for raising her on your own. I know it is not easy."

"Definitely not easy," Tony agreed, chuckling at Kaitlin handing Amira toy after toy for her to play with. "But...it has its perks."

"She has peace in her eyes," Leyla said. "I left Iraq so Amira would have that same peace. I hope she has it forever."

"You did what you had to as a parent."

Leyla smiled at him softly and was just about to reply when the front door opened. Instinctively Tony reached for his weapon but eased when he saw that it was McGee returning with Gibbs. "Hello, Agent McGee," Leyla greeted. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

McGee nodded and plunked his back pack down by the door. "A cup of tea sounds great. Thank you, Leyla."

Tony stood up while Leyla went to prepare McGee his beverage. He leaned down and scooped Kaitlin off the floor and found her Ohio State sweatshirt that Steve had purchased on his recent trip to visit their alma mater. He wiggled the infant into the sweatshirt and looked at Gibbs. "Franks give you anything?"

"Uh-huh," Gibbs replied. "Nothing you have to worry about now. Take Kaitlin home."

"Gotchya, boss," Tony said, finding the diaper bag. "See you in the morning," he said in departure.

Outside a cool breeze tickled his nose as he walked towards his SUV. He unlocked it and opened the back door, settling the baby into her car seat. As he buckled her he felt an uneasy feeling wash through him and he reached for his gun, just as something came crashing down onto the back of his head and knocked him out cold.

* * *

><p>McGee and Gibbs were completely taken by surprise when the flash bomb came crashing through the window. Thankfully they had been alerted that something was wrong when the power was cut and Leyla got Amira upstairs. But still, McGee could barely think with the constant drone in his ears thanks to the flash bomb.<p>

He rolled over onto his side to look for the boss but couldn't find him. In the dim, smokey light, he could make out three pairs of boots stomping across the debris. _Where's Gibbs?_

_Actually, better yet, where's Tony? He couldn't have left already, _McGee thought, groaning as he rolled on his side and pain shot up his back. Thankfully the intruders didn't seem interested in him and proceeded deeper into the house, leaving the young agent on the floor, writhing in pain.

McGee attempted to get to his feet and crawl to the stairs but as he did so he heard the sound of a body dropping to the floor and then another, followed by the sound of voice which was muffled thanks to the drumming in his ears. "Boss?"

"Yeah, McGee," Gibbs' voice sounded far away but he was actually standing right over him. "Everything is okay."

"Don't...how did you," McGee started to ask, but thought better of it. He slowly got to his feet and turned to see a familiar face standing in the living room, clad in all back. "Corporal Werth?"

Damon Werth tossed him a small, embarrassed smile. "Seems we had a misunderstand, Agent McGee-again."

McGee was puzzled. He knew that Werth had been dishonorably discharged from the Marines after NCIS' investigation, but he was confused as to why the former marine was here, trying to abduct a woman and her child. "Ah...yeah...exactly what kind of misunderstanding?"

Gibbs frowned and threw his thumb towards the open door. "McGee. Get outside and check on that crying baby."

"On it boss," the young agent said, just now realizing that he could hear Kaitlin sobbing.

Jogging as fast as he could to get outside, he found the car door wide open, Kaitlin strapped into her seat, wailing away, her hands reaching out for something. As he got closer he realized that her hands were reaching for _someone. _Tony was laying face down on the ground, unconscious. Kaitlin was crying to get his attention.

McGee sucked in a sharp breath as he ran towards his fallen partner. "Tony!" he called out, reaching down to check for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found one, but it only lasted a second. He pulled his cellphone out and quickly dialed _911, _Kaitlin still crying in the background for her daddy to wake up.

Gibbs appeared when the wail of sirens mixed in with the wails of the baby. He saw his agent on the ground, saw the frightened child in the car seat and his blood boiled, thinking about what Werth had just told him about Colonel Bell. "Tim," he said, simply.

"He's breathing boss," McGee replied, "But he's not responding."

"It's alright, Tim," Gibbs said, gently, reaching out and grasping the young man's shoulder. "You did the right thing. You called for help."

McGee's eyes traveled towards the baby. "She knew. She was crying to get our attention."

Gibbs wouldn't put it past that smart little baby to do just that. He moved towards the car and took her out of her seat, rubbing her back and wiping at her tears. Kaitlin was very much aware of her daddy's moods and how to get his attention. When those little things that she did got her nowhere she resorted to crying. Which had sent the cavalry running. "Good girl," he whispered. "Even if you did just want Daddy to pay attention to you."

Kaitlin stuck her lower lip out and whimpered. "Da?"

"He's going to be fine. Your daddy has the thickest skull I've ever seen," Gibbs assured her, continuing to stroke her back. "And he does not have my permission to die."

* * *

><p><em>What the hell happened? <em>Tony thought as he finally came around. He was met with bright lights and an unfamiliar face.

"Oh, welcome back Agent DiNozzo," a woman said, smiling at him. "How are you feeling?"

"My head...my head hurts like hell," Tony whispered, realizing how dry his throat was.

"Should, DiNozzo," Gibbs drawled, coming into his view. "You were hit pretty hard on the back of your skull."

Tony blinked away the cobwebs. He remembered leaving Gibbs' house, putting Kaitlin into her car seat and then-_Kaitlin! _He shot up in bed, which caused the blood to rush and for the room to go dark for a second. "Katie! Where is she, boss? Please...please tell me she's alright!"

Gibbs eased him back down and gripped his shoulder. "Kaitlin is fine. She's spending time with Abby and McGee in the waiting room. I think she's a little scared that you didn't respond to her, but once she sees you, she'll be fine."

"Boss...I...I need to see her," Tony whispered, eyes pleading.

"Okay. Just take it easy. I'll go get her."

Tony sighed and burrowed deeper into the pillows of his hospital bed. He really hated being in the hospital, but he'd deal with one problem at a time. First, he just needed proof that his daughter was alright, that he hadn't failed at keeping her safe.

Gibbs returned quickly, a sleepy Kaitlin wrapped up in her blanket in his arms. "See," he said to the SFA. "She's fine."

"She...they didn't hurt her?"

"No. They weren't after her or you even."

Kaitlin's eyes opened fully when she heard Tony's voice and she squirmed in Gibbs' tight grasp. The former marine obliged her wish, to be given to her father, gently placing her in Tony's arms. She flopped against his chest, perhaps rather dramatically, and moved into position until she was comfortable. In no time she had fallen to sleep.

Gibbs chuckled, thinking about Abby and then McGee pacing the length of the waiting room to get Kaitlin to fall asleep. She had just wanted Daddy and no one was going to be a substitute for that. He felt a kinship with the baby then, because just like her, Tony was irreplaceable to him.

"Don't suppose I'm going home tonight, huh?" Tony asked.

"Nope. Doctor wants to watch you," Gibbs replied.

"Katie?"

"Abby offered to take her home."

Tony kissed the baby's cheek. "Alright. Can I...can I just have a few more minutes with her?"

Gibbs nodded. "Yeah. Take all the time you need, DiNozzo."

"Boss. You said they weren't after Katie or me. Who were they after?"

"Leyla and Amira."

"Are they alright?"

"Back at NCIS right now."

Tony's green eyes studied the team leader's face. "Something wrong, boss?"

Gibbs sighed. "Leyla's mother hired someone to kidnap her daughter and granddaughter and bring them back to Iraq. It's a group that consists of former US military officers. I can charge the guys that broke into my house, that knocked you out, but I can't charge the leader. All I can do is ship him to Mexico where the Federales can deal with him."

"You're worried it's going to come back and haunt us, aren't you?"

"Isn't that always the case, Tony?"

"Yeah," Tony sighed, "But well...can't there be a first time for everything?"


	34. Father's Worst Nightmare

**Warnings: **Slight spoilers for "Power Down".

**A/N: **Sorry for the delay. I have been busy and not had a lot of time to write. Just wanted to let you know that I have not abandoned this story and that there will probably be more updates as soon as the NHL playoffs are over lol. Also, I don't claim to be a doctor but I did my best with the medical stuff in this chapter.

* * *

><p>Tony knew it was going to be a rough week when the power went out. Surviving forty-eight hours without technology was bad enough, but surviving forty-eight hours without power while taking care of a sick baby-that was an entirely different monster. Tony was never so happy to have his cell phone and computer back. Although working a case the old fashioned way had given him a whole new level of admiration for Gibbs and other cops that had come before him not having all this technology available to them.<p>

After the case had been solved, Gibbs had sent Tony for the door, citing that he needed to be home with Kaitlin. Tony didn't want to leave, they were training a new agent after all and even though he knew McGee was perfectly capable of training Erin, it just...well wasn't it his job?

Gibbs of course had told him that his job now was being a father and being an agent come secondary. So, Tony had found himself at home taking care of a fussy Kaitlin. She slept most of the day, but around dinner time Tony noticed that her cough had really picked up and was very wheezy. He tried giving her some cough medicine and was startled two hours later when it wasn't working. By the time he went to put her to bed, her coughing just kept getting worse. At this point, the baby was struggling to even breath, taking large gasping breaths as if she was desperately trying to get air into her small lungs.

He knew that feeling. Knew what it was like to struggle to breathe and he knew that there was nothing he could do for her at home. Tony needed to get her to the hospital and fast.

* * *

><p>Gibbs heard his phone ringing in the recess of his mind. Yawning he reached for the offensive thing and noticed that it was a blocked ID on the screen. "Yeah, Gibbs."<p>

"_Agent Gibbs?" _a friendly voice asked, "_Are you Anthony DiNozzo's next of kin?"_

He felt his heart drop into his stomach. _Oh no. What happened? _"Yeah. Is...is something wrong? Tony alright?"

She paused for a moment. "_He didn't want me to call anyone this late but well...the poor man is so distraught I just can't let him sit here by himself anymore. He brought his baby in with severe coughing. Poor thing was struggling to breath. And her oxygen levels were very low."_

Gibbs found his shoes and threw them on. Wide awake now, he shifted the phone to his other ear and shoved his credentials in his pocket and clipped his badge to his waist. He found his keys and told the nurse that he was on his way. Hanging up the phone he took a deep breath to calm himself. Tony didn't need him panicking right now. His SFA needed him to be calm and supportive even if he was just as terrified inside that they could lose Kaitlin.

He told himself not to think like that. Tony had done the right thing. He had brought the baby to the ER and hopefully the doctors would be able to figure out what was wrong with her and get her on the mend. They had been lulled into a false sense of security that last week and a half. Their new agent was starting to fit in nicely with the help of Tony and McGee. Mike had gone back to Mexico with the girls and Leyla's mother. And Ducky was already talking about Thanksgiving. How the hell did everything fall apart so fast?

And then it hit him. A week ago Tony had been in the hospital and Abby and McGee had brought Kaitlin there. Gibbs himself had brought the baby into Tony's room to see her father. _Dear God, we might have unknowingly infected her with something. _He flipped his cell phone open and dialed Ducky.

"_Jethro? It's very late, is everything alright?" _the medical examiner questioned, anxiously. "_I didn't think you were on call tonight."_

"I'm not, Ducky," Gibbs said as he drove madly towards the hospital. "Hospital just called me- Kaitlin was brought to the ER."

Ducky paused for a moment. "_What...what for? She seemed happy the other day when I visited. Runny nose but otherwise happy!"_

Gibbs felt himself shaking. "I...I don't know. I sent Tony home today because she was sick. The nurse said...the nurse said she was struggling to breath. She wasn't...she wasn't getting enough oxygen."

"_I assume you are going to the hospital now to be with Anthony now?" _Ducky inquired.

"Yes."

"_What do you need me to do?_"

"Meet me there," Gibbs sighed, "Tony's gonna need us both."

* * *

><p>His stomach was knotted up tightly. When Tony had arrived at the hospital with Kaitlin the doctor had wanted to see her right away. At that point Kaitlin was struggling so much to breath that her skin was clammy and her lips were starting to tint blue. She had been whisked out of his arms and he was forced to wait. Alone.<p>

Now, Tony was standing outside a room, watching as on call emergency room pediatrician, Doug Harrison, hooked the baby up to an IV and a nurse stroked her hair. He swallowed the bile in his throat. He felt completely helpless watching them work on his baby. He didn't understand how they had gotten to this point. That morning she had been fussy and with a runny nose, but as the day wore on that cold had turned into a cough that could very well take his daughter's life because she was suffocating, essentially. His greatest fear, his daughter as sick as he had been, was happening right before his eyes.

Shuddering away his memories of being in the hospital himself, he turned when he heard someone say his name. He wasn't surprised that the nurse had ended up calling someone for him when he told her not too. And he wasn't surprised to see his boss and Ducky coming towards him. Gibbs, clad in a red Marine Corps sweatshirt and jeans strode up to him, gently resting a hand on his shoulder. "It's gonna be okay, Tony. Doctors will figure this all out."

"I don't understand, boss. I did _everything _that was asked of me," Tony lamented. "It...I thought it was just a cold."

"And I'm sure this has nothing to do with you," Gibbs assured him.

"Yes, Anthony," Ducky said patting the young man on the shoulder, "Kaitlin is very little. Her immune system is not very strong yet. She might have caught something else."

Tony buried his face in his hands. He just wanted to wake up and realize that this was a nightmare. He felt Gibbs squeeze his shoulder and he was glad that both Gibbs and Ducky were there. He wasn't sure he could stand here, alone anymore while waiting to hear news on Kaitlin.

"Mister DiNozzo?"

"Yeah," he whispered, glancing up at the doctor who had come out of the room.

"We've started your baby on some antibiotics and fluids. Her blood pressure is good, heart rate normal."

Tony felt very little relief. "What's wrong with her?"

Harrison smiled, gently. "Pertussis-or more commonly known as Whooping Cough."

"I thought...I thought it was just a cold."

"The infection probably had not developed yet and presented itself as a cold."

"She…she was turning purple. What…what does that mean?"

Harrison took a deep breath. "Her coughing spells were making it hard for her to breath, so she wasn't getting enough oxygen. We've sedated her and are giving her oxygen to get her levels back up, on top of the fluids and medicines. We're going to move her upstairs to ICU and keep her for observation but I'm confident that if we get her oxygen levels back up and she responds to the treatment that she'll be able to go home in the next couple of days."

Tony nodded his head, numbly. "Can I…can I stay with her?"

"Of course. I'll arrange for a cot to be put in her room for you."

He was sure he wouldn't be sleeping, but he thanked the doctor anyways. Harrison excused himself and Tony stood there looking into the small room where Kaitlin was peacefully sleeping.

Gibbs reached out and pat Tony on the back. "I'm gonna go grab some coffee."

"Boss?"

"Do you think I'm gonna let you stay here alone tonight?"

Tony turned around and looked at him, slightly wide eyed. "Well…yeah."

Gibbs cocked a small smile. "Well, guess what. I'm not."


	35. Family

**Warnings: **None for this chapter.

**A/N:** The last five minutes of "Honor Thy Father" was just...beautiful in my opinion. Those last five minutes were very much a team as a family feel and it was perfect (IMO). I loved how there were no lines spoken between them, nothing had to be spoken. You could see how grateful Gibbs was to have his family there and to have the ENTIRE team, including Jimmy who didn't know Jackson that well, and Ellie, who didn't know Jackson at all, was PERFECT. I also loved that Ellie asked the team what Jackson was like, the team's answers were sweet and summed up Jackson wonderfully. Ralph is going to be missed by a lot of people.

So, it seems appropriate to dedicate this chapter, titled "Family", to the wonderful Ralph Waite. Thank you, sir, for giving us a great character and for your work on this show.

* * *

><p>Looking up from his case report, Gibbs watched as Tony mumbled something in his sleep.<p>

Quickly glancing at his watch he saw that it was close to four o'clock in the morning on their second night at the hospital. Kaitlin had been taken off sedation and her oxygen levels were nearing normal, but Tony hadn't slept a wink the first night, and it was appearing that exhaustion had finally caught up to him the second night. His senior field agent was sprawled out on the tiny cot that the hospital had provided for him so he could sleep in Kaitlin's room. The baby herself was sound asleep in a hospital crib. A nurse had come in twenty minutes ago to check her and give her a bottle that she had eagerly and thankfully gulped down. And Tony had slept through the whole thing.

It was probably a good thing. Gibbs was certain that Tony had not gotten much sleep in the last four days, the dark circles underneath his eyes were evidence of that. He put his case report down and stood up and went to the crib.

Kaitlin's eyes were actually open. She wasn't sleeping at all. They regarded him cautiously. Gibbs smiled down at her. "You gave your daddy quite a scare," he whispered to her. "But, I know your daddy, and well…he's given me similar scares in the past. Why should you be any different?"

He reached into the crib and stroked her cheek. It felt warm to his touch but not burning hot. Gibbs took that as a good sign that the baby's fever was going down. "I once ordered your father not to die," he told her, recalling Tony hooked up to every machine imaginable, struggling to breathe. "That wasn't the first time that he gave me a scare, but it sure as hell was the worst one he'd put me through. Remember this—only your father would go and contract a medieval disease."

Her eyes sparkled for a moment and she smiled slightly. Another sign that the medication was working and she was beginning to feel better. Gibbs knew that Tony was going to feel a lot of relief in seeing that smile when he woke up in the morning. It was probably going to be close to the relief that Gibbs had felt when Kate had called early the morning after Tony was infected that his fever had broken and he was slowly on the mend. "You father is the best agent I've worked with, Kaitlin. And he's stuck by me through a lot and I haven't always been nice to him. Probably why he was surprised I wanted to stay with him tonight. But, he deserves someone to stick by him and I need to return the favor."

Gibbs looked across the room at her father, still asleep and hopefully catching up on the hours he had lost. Tony was curled up on one side, his tall frame cramped on the tiny cot. But, Tony was used to sleeping in a desk chair, a tiny cot didn't faze him. The nurse had given him a blanket but it had fallen off and was pooled on the floor at the end of the cot.

Quietly the former marine crossed the space in the room and picked the blanket up. He draped it back over his senior field agent and gently cupped his hand on the back of the sleeping agent's head. Tony slightly stirred but didn't wake. Gibbs decided to let him sleep and made his way back to the crib.

Kaitlin was still awake, hazel eyes still studying him. Gibbs smiled at her. "Here's your first rule lesson. _You do what you must for family._"

* * *

><p>Timothy McGee pulled his tired, aching body into NCIS early Friday morning. He still had a bank account to find, one that was in the Caymen Islands, which was making it difficult, but their whole case hinged on this one account. If the money was there then they could prove that Chief Petty Officer Bryan Ines' had killed his embezzlement partner so he could keep all the money. Of course, if Tim didn't find the account their case was blown out the window.<p>

Stepping into the bullpen he was not surprised to find Erin Nicholson already there but he was surprised to see Ducky at Gibbs desk, picking up a stack of case reports. "Morning."

"Good morning, Timothy," Ducky greeted brightly.

"Everything okay, Ducky?" Tim asked. "Something I can help you with?"

"Oh, no thank you, Timothy. I was just bringing some work to Jethro at the hospital."

"Hospital?" Both Tim and Erin gasped at the same time.

Ducky smiled at them gently. "Nothing to worry about. A nurse from Inova Alexandria Hospital called Gibbs the other night. Kaitlin was struggling to breathe and having coughing fits. Anthony took her to the emergency room. Gibbs spent the last two nights at the hospital with Kaitlin and Anthony."

Tim was jolted awake. All his exhaustion faded away as he let the words settle in. Kaitlin was in the hospital and she was only nine months old. "Ducky, is…is the baby going to be alright?"

"Yes. She is going to be fine. She developed Whooping Cough, but the doctors started her on antibiotics and fluids and according to Jethro she has bounced back nicely this morning."

"Are they keeping her much longer? Is there anything we can do for Tony?" Erin asked, nervously.

Ducky shook his head. "Not at the moment." He glanced at his watch. "I should be on my way. Jethro will be looking for these case reports and his morning coffee. And we all know that no one should get in the way of Jethro and his coffee."

Tim plopped down into his desk chair. To think he had woken up that morning bitching about having to find some bank account. Tony had spent the last two nights in the hospital, worrying over his daughter. And while Ducky brushed it off as nothing, Tim knew that if Tony had not acted, not taken the baby to the emergency room, things could have been much different. _Poor Tony, _he thought, sadly. It could not have been a good feeling watching doctors' work on his daughter in the hospital.

He booted his computer up and glanced at Erin. She looked like she was about to cry. "Erin? Are you okay?"

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Yes…I…I just…I know that I've only known you guys for a few weeks but it breaks my heart to think that Tony came so close to loosing her."

"Ducky didn't sound worried, Erin. She's probably going to be alright."

"Tony must have been scared."

"According to DiNozzo, he does not get scared."

Erin frowned at him. "Come on, McGee. His daughter was very sick. Surely that would permit being scared?"

Tim sighed. Picturing Tony scared actually terrified him. Abby always said that Tony was a solid rock. And he was. He was what held the team together when Gibbs had _retired_. More often than not he was the one covering for Tim or Ziva, taking the brunt of Gibbs' anger. And he never, ever, showed fear. "Yeah," he whispered, "I guess even that would make Tony scared."

"You've never seen him scared before?"

"Actually. Once."

"Oh?"

"Four years ago, when he opened a letter that contained the Plague. And then again when he left to go to the hospital."

Erin knew very little about that time, when Kate Todd was alive and Tony had gotten sick. In fact she only knew what Jimmy Palmer had offered up to her. But what she did know was that Tony had opened a letter that contained _y pestus. _ He'd nearly died of severe pneumonia. She was about to grab her coat and head out to the hospital herself, because it seemed like something the rest of the team would want her to do, when Leon Vance appeared in the squad room.

Vance paused glancing at the two agents. "Where's Gibbs? We have a problem."

* * *

><p>Gibbs had disappeared. Tony noticed it when the doctor came to check on Kaitlin at noon. He wasn't sure where the team leader had gone off too, but he was sure it had something to do with a case that the boss didn't want the SFA to know about.<p>

"Well," the doctor said, happily, "Kaitlin is responding well to the antibiotics and her oxygen levels are back up to normal. I'm going to start the paperwork to discharge her. You can take her home in about an hour, Mr. DiNozzo. Also, I talked to her pediatrician when she's better she'd like her to go in and get vaccinated for Whooping Cough. Did you see the nurse about getting your own vaccination?"

"Yes...she gave it to me this morning," Tony replied, rubbing the sore spot where the needle had pierced him. As much as he hated needles, he knew that it had to be done to protect his baby. Although, Ducky had insisted he get to protect himself too, but that was another story. Right now he was more worried about making sure that his daughter never went through this again. "How long will the discharge process take?"

The doctor gave a slight shake of his head. "Shouldn't take too long. You should be on your way in an hour." He nodded his head in departure and left the small family alone.

Tony got up and slowly lifted the baby out of her crib, not moving very far so he wouldn't pull her off the machines. "Home sounds nice huh? Especially after sleeping on that cot last night. Wonder were Grandpa went. Bet he had to work." _Just wish he had told me so I could have gone to have his back. _Which was the whole reason Gibbs hadn't told him, Tony knew this. He kissed Kaitlin's cheek and sighed. "Complicated little family we have, isn't it, peanut?"

Kaitlin's response was a coo and a gurgle. But she seemed okay with that complicated little family and that was just fine by him.


	36. That Part of Me

**Warnings: ** Spoilers for Season 7, specifically the backstory of Daniel Cryor's death.

**A/N: **I'm kind of going through NCIS withdrawals now that the season is over, so I'll probably be writing more haha. My muse took me in a different direction than I was planning so I hope you like it :).

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><p>Gibbs pulled his truck up to the curb and shut it down. He leaned back in the seat and looked at the secluded brick building. As much as he hated to leave Tony in the lurch at the hospital, this was more important. Getting out of the truck, pulling his trench coat up around his neck, the team leader strolled up the steps and knocked on the door.<p>

A tall, slender blonde woman answered. Her long, straight hair was pulled back into a bun and she was rather plain-looking. Not someone that Gibbs would associate with Tony, but then again this woman hadn't been a girlfriend, she had been a contact. "Can I help you?" she asked, politely when she opened the door up.

"NCIS," Gibbs said, pulling out his credentials. "I'm here to see Ms. David."

"I'm sorry..." the woman started to say but the agent cut her off.

"Ms. David used to work for me," Gibbs said, sharply. "Please. I'd rather speak to her here and not have to drag her down to NCIS."

With a frown, the woman let him inside the house. They wove their way down a tight hall, towards a living room with comfy furniture. He could see a couple of women sitting on the sofa. One of them had her back towards the federal agent but he knew it was her. Brushing past the blonde woman, Gibbs entered the living room. "Ziver."

Ziva David looked up and instantly he could see the difference in her. It was in her eyes. There wasn't a harsh, cold look anymore. It was softer. "Gibbs. What are you doing here?"

Gibbs sat down on the easy chair to face her. "Daniel Cryor's body was found, off the coast of Somalia, fifty miles from where the Damocules went down." He searched her face for some reaction. Instead she reverted back to her training and hid her emotions fairly well. "I know that you and your team were on that ship before it went down. You bartered your transportation. I need to know what happened to the crew."

"You would not be here if you did not already know," Ziva said, coolly.

"I need to hear it from your mouth," Gibbs countered.

"Do I need to go into NCIS?"

"No, we can do this right here."

Ziva looked at the puzzled woman seated on the sofa with her before she sighed and stood up. "No. I think it is best that I come down to NCIS with you. These people...they do not need to know where I came from. I am happy here, Gibbs. I am helping people and I do not want that to change."

Gibbs nodded his head and stood with her. "Very well. We can do this your way, Ziver." _I was just trying to make it easier on all of us. _"I didn't let the rest of the team know that you were coming. Are you okay seeing them?"

She slipped into a well-worn jean jacket. "Yes. I am. It was Tony and McGee that helped get me out of that awful place and back on my feet. I assume that there is a new agent filling my desk."

"Yeah," Gibbs said with a shrug. "She isn't you-but she's good."

"I am sure under your tutelage she will be great."

"Hope so. She has some pretty big shoes to fill."

Ziva offered him a small, sad smile. "I wish things had worked differently for all us, Gibbs."

Gibbs sighed as he opened the passenger door on his truck for her. When she was inside he slammed the door shut and walked around the back of the truck to get in on the driver's side. Neither of them said a word until they were well on their way back to Washington.

"Are Tony and Kaitlin okay? I have...I have been thinking about them," Ziva confessed.

"Both are experiencing growing pains, but they'll be fine," Gibbs replied.

"I...I was not supportive of him when he brought her home."

Gibbs had noticed but had not called her out on it. Kaitlin was not just a big adjustment for Tony, she was a big adjustment for all of them. "She was a change that we were not anticipating."

Ziva shook her head. "She reminded me of Tali. So full of life and innocent. A little girl that had her life ripped away from her by violence. And...I hated that Tony got her and not me."

"Still time for you to have all that, Ziva," Gibbs pointed out to her.

"Now there is. But at the time I felt...trapped by NCIS...Mossad...and then Michael betrayed my trust. I...projected my anger onto the baby and that...that was not fair of me."

"Have you told Tony _any _of this?"

Ziva shook her head. "No. I have not spoken with Tony...or McGee...since I last saw them. Besides...it would not change what happened."

Gibbs could hear the regret in her voice. "Ziva, just because you had ill feelings towards Kaitlin was not the reason that Rivkin tried to kill DiNozzo, or that your father left you to die in the desert. Those things happened because your father is not a good man. He used you and Rivkin to play his game and _both _of you died back in May. You might still be here but that part of you that was Mossad, that loathed that baby-she died in that camp."

"I did not blame him...for Africa. I knew...when my father gave me that ultimatum...there was no other choice."

"Your father threatened to kill Tony _and _Kaitlin just to get you to take that mission?"

"He did not threaten to kill...just to make the baby disappear. And that would have _killed _Tony."

The former marine had no doubt that Eli David had endless resources and the means to make a small infant vanish into thin air. And she was right-loosing the baby like that would have killed Tony. Maybe not in the physical sense but he never would be the same. It was just the thought of loosing that child the last few days that had sent the SFA into an emotional tailspin. "I'm not going to tell you what to do, Ziva. But I think you need to talk to him."

She blinked back her tears. "My counselor...she says the same thing. That it will...it will help me to forgive that part of myself. I just...I don't know what I would say."

He reached out and rubbed the back of her head, affectionately. "You'll figure it out. I have faith."


	37. Seeking Forgiveness

**Warnings: **Spoilers for Season 7.

**A/N: **Yucky weather for the long weekend here means I've done a lot of writing in between spring cleaning. So, lucky for you it's been rainy, unlucky for me, haha.

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><p>Tony couldn't take sitting at home any longer. So, the day after bringing Kaitlin home he called the nanny to see if she would take her for a few hours. Of course, Gibbs had informed Jane that Tony was in no way, shape or form, to be coming into work.<p>

"Jane," the young man tried to argue with her. "Gibbs just up and left. That's not like him! Not when a child is concerned!"

"_I know all about Kaitlin's bout with Whooping Cough, and Jethro is right-she needs to be home with her daddy," _Jane countered, firmly._  
><em>

Tony tossed a glance at the baby, laying on her back in her play-pen, staring up at him. She had not been very active since coming home, but she was eating, and her cough had pretty much been reduced to tickles in the throat. She'd be fine for a few hours, wouldn't she? "I hate being left out. I have a job to do, as his second in command, to be there for him, to cover his six."

Jane sighed. "_Anthony. I admired your unwavering loyalty to Jethro and NCIS, but what about that little girl? Yes, she might be feeling better, but you know the moment you step out the door, she is going to be in hysterics. I am sure that if Jethro needs you, he'll call. Just try to be patient, dear."_

He had never been a patient person. And being shut out like this, it was killing him inside. Gibbs still was not answering his cell phone and when he finally got in touch with McGee, his partner informed him that everything was under control. It was Erin he'd cornered into giving up where Gibbs had gone, somewhat at least. While their probie stood her ground that she couldn't disclose _why _Gibbs had gone to Baltimore, she could only tell him that he did. "I'm not going to win this argument, am I?" Tony finally asked, dropping down onto the sofa.

"_No. You are not," _Jane replied with a chuckle. "_Now. I left some left overs in the fridge the other day. Heat them up. Pop in a movie and make sure both you and Kaitlin get plenty of rest."_

"Yes ma'am," Tony echoed, smiling before he hung up.

Kaitlin let out a fussy cry from her play-pen and demanded attention. Tony got up off the sofa and lifted her out of the crib. She snuggled against his shoulder and settled immediately.

Tony rubbed her back as he went to sit back down. "Nanny was right," he whispered to her, "I can't leave you right now. Guess it's nice to know that there are no substitutes for me, huh? Although, I hate it when Grandpa Gibbs leaves me out of the loop like this."

"Ibbs," Kaitlin repeated.

"Aw, look you learned a new word," Tony praised her which got him a grin. He kissed her cheek. "Let's just hope _Ibbs _isn't in too much trouble and Daddy doesn't have to go half way across the world to save his butt."

* * *

><p>Gibbs snapped his phone shut after listening to the voicemail from Jane. He should have known that DiNozzo was going to snoop around and try to hand the baby off to the nanny so he could come into work. He was happy he'd warned her.<p>

"Something wrong?" Ziva asked, softly by his side while they rode the elevator up to the main floor.

"No, just Kaitlin's nanny informing me that Tony tried to coax her into taking the baby for the day," Gibbs replied, shoving the phone back into his pocket. "I should have known that keeping silent and ordering him to stay home with her was a bad idea."

Ziva smiled slightly. "He is worried about you. I do not blame him. The last time you disappeared on him you were taken hostage by a terrorist."

Gibbs had not looked at it from that perspective. He sighed as the doors opened and the pair stepped off. Immediately being back in that office had an effect on Ziva and he wished she had taken him up on the offer to give her statement back at the shelter. He wasn't sure she was up for this.

She fiddled with her visitor badge and walked a step behind Gibbs as he escorted her to the conference room. She knew how to get there but she was no longer an employee of NCIS and thus, her role was different. As they climbed the stairs she glanced down into the bullpen and saw that Tony's desk was indeed empty, McGee looking at her puzzled, and a young, blonde woman hunched over some paper work paying no attention to them at all. "You did not tell them I was coming," she stated.

"Nope," Gibbs said as he strode to the conference room and pulled the door open. "I told McGee that I had to go to Baltimore for a follow-up on a cold case and that Tony was out and he was in charge until I got back. Didn't want him or Abby to suffocate you when you arrived."

"It is okay, Gibbs," Ziva told him as she took a seat. "I should probably speak to them. _All _of them."

He nodded and sat down next to her, placing his file onto the table. He popped it open and grabbed a pen. "Listen, I know that speaking about Mossad operations can get you in a lot of trouble back home, so...Vance and I have decided to leave your _real _name out of it. Instead we'll be using your new identity."

She raised an eyebrow. "How are you going to explain my presence on the ship?"

"You were a stowaway," Gibbs said with a little smirk. "Hiding so no one saw you, you escaped just before the ship went down."

"If Mossad ever gets their hands on this report, they will demand to speak to the witness, Gibbs."

"Cross that bridge _if _and _when _we come to it."

Ziva took a deep breath and nodded. "Very well. Cryor was on the ship with us. He made us immediately, as I did him. Regardless of what he'd done, he was still a marine and carried himself in such a way."

Gibbs jotted some notes down into the file. "How did he make you?"

"My necklace. He told me I should take it off. I told him...I told him I would rather die than take it off. Ironic now that it is gone."

"Did he give you up to the crew?"

"No. I do not think he did. I...I would have left him alive. It was...it was Malachi that killed him. He said we couldn't trust him."

"Officer Ben-Gidon, the one you sent back to Israel because he was wounded?"

Ziva nodded, biting back her tears. "Yes. I sent him back. It...I was only leading that mission to protect the baby from my father. I...already two men had died because of it...Malachi was my friend, Gibbs. I could not let him be killed for something _I _had to do. He tried to reason with me to go back to Israel with him. But I knew...if I returned unsuccessful...my father would destroy Tony by taking Kaitlin from him. I was prepared to die. I infiltrated the camp with nothing but death in my heart."

Gibbs stopped writing and reached out to put his hand over hers. "Your father...he raised you to be a cold, ruthless, soulless killer. Just like he did with Ari. The only difference is you got out before it ruined you, your brother didn't."

"I often wonder if Tali had lived...what my father would have done to her," she whispered, a single tear running down her cheek.

"Tell me more about Cryor and the ship. Were you and Malachi responsible for sinking it."

"No...that really was the storm. We wrapped their bodies in bags and tossed them overboard."

Gibbs made one final note on his paperwork and slid the paper towards her. He held the pen out to her, she grasped it in her fingers and paused ever so slightly before signing under her new identity, the final strokes to cutting all ties from her previous life.

* * *

><p>"Ziva's here?" Abby questioned when McGee came down to the lab to tell her. "Something to do with our case?"<p>

"I don't know. Boss was rather cryptic when he told me that he was going to Baltimore, not to inform Tony what he was doing, and that I was in charge," McGee replied with a shrug. " I had no idea he was going to the city to get Ziva, didn't know it until she walked through the door with him."

Abby chewed on her lower lip. "Daniel Cryor went AWOL and his remains were found in a trash bag in the Indian Ocean. Do you think...do you think Ziva had something to do with it?"

McGee frowned. "Ducky estimates his time of death was probably in May. She was still a part of Mossad back then so...yes...anything is possible. Look what happened to Tony."

"Does Tony...does he know she's _here?_" Abby whispered, nervously.

"No. Gibbs left strict instructions to keep him out of this," McGee replied, sadly. "I know he forgave her back in Africa but...they never really...talked about it...you know."

Abby swallowed and nodded. It had hurt when Ziva had betrayed them all back in May. Hurt even more when they thought she was dead and it was bittersweet when Tony and McGee got her back to the States but under the circumstances she could not rejoin them at NCIS. "They _need _to talk. She...she was willing to die to get that hit taken off of him!"

McGee felt his chest tighten just thinking about it. What if she hadn't taken that mission? Would her father have gone through with it? He was pretty certain that when Eli David made threats he saw them through to the bitter end. Perhaps, if Kaitlin hadn't been involved in the whole situation, Ziva would have let her father take Tony out. "He knows that Abby. He knows that if she hadn't taken the mission, Eli would have killed him."

"No...my father would not have killed him," Ziva's voice said, startling the pair. They turned to see her standing in the door. "He would have done something much worse."

Abby rushed to her and hugged her tightly. She had not seen her since returning from Africa. They had kept in contact through emails but Ziva had insisted she wasn't ready to see any of them yet. There were things that she needed to work out first. The scientist pulled back and immediately apologized, "I'm sorry! It's just...I'm happy you're okay."

Ziva smiled. "It is nice to see you, Abby."

"You said your father would have done something much worse," McGee reminded her, "How much worse could it possibly get?"

"He threatened to take Kaitlin from Tony," Ziva simply answered.

McGee felt the color drain from his face. _Oh yeah, that is worse, _he thought. Kaitlin had become such an important part of all their lives. He knew that if Eli had followed through on that threat, making the baby disappear forever, it would have killed the senior field agent. It would have destroyed their tight-knit little family. "Bastard," he swore and then looked sheepishly at Ziva, "Sorry...I know...I know he is your father."

Ziva shook her head, remorsefully. "It is okay, Tim. He is my father only by blood now. When he made that threat against a small, innocent infant, I saw him for what he truly was."

"Hey," Erin called, popping into the lab. "Gibbs is looking for you. We have to fly."

"Case?" McGee guessed.

"Uh-huh. Dead marine in a cornfield. Sounds like fun," Erin teased.

McGee chuckled as he followed her, stopped once to grasp Ziva's hand and give a squeeze then was gone. Ziva and Abby stood in awkward silence for a moment, until Ziva reached for the photograph of Kaitlin that she kept on her table. "She is getting big."

Abby grinned, looking at the photo of Kaitlin, sitting on a blanket at the park, grinning. "Yeah. She's crawling now, and pulling herself up into a standing position using furniture. Hasn't tried to take a step yet but...it's coming. Tony's dreading it. He's already chasing her around the house with her crawling. Oh...and she calls him _Da. _It's rather cute."

"She looks happy."

"Happiest baby I know."

Ziva willed herself not to cry, not to wish that she had a child, but the old feelings of envy took hold of her heart. She wanted a family, she wanted a baby to laugh and smile at her the way Kaitlin laughed and smiled at her father. She ran her thumb over the infant's grinning face.

Abby watched her for a moment before suggesting, "You should go see them."

"Yes," Ziva whispered, putting the photo back down on the table, "Perhaps I will."


	38. Moving On and Starting Over

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Child's Play". Long response/rant to guest reviews below.

**A/N: **Closing up this mini arc with Ziva and moving on to the next. Time for Katie's first Thanksgiving is approaching! Kind of funny to be writing about Thanksgiving when it is 80 degrees outside, but it's almost done :)

Now, to respond to "Guest" review. I'm curious as to why you think now I've gone the same route as the producers and made Ziva a Mary Sue. I've written her since the beginning of the story how she was portrayed in Season 6 and Season 7. Was she Mary Sueish there, oh yeah big time! But to say that the last SEVERAL chapters have ruined the story for you is ridiculous. First off, I inserted Ziva back into the story the last TWO chapters. Second, it was a good story until I RUINED IT? Excuse me, it's my story. I can write what I want. Third, sickening? I don't know how to even respond to that so I won't. As appalling as this might be to you, I like Ziva and was disappointed what the writers did with her character, so I've written some of the things I wanted to see. The Cryor backstory was taken directly from canon, I just bent the reason why Ziva went to Somalia. So, because she took that mission to protect an innocent baby makes her a Mary Sue? Guess what...I have a feeling that Gibbs, Tony and McGee would take a mission like that if Eli had given them the ultimatum. Does that make them Mary Sues as well? And to tell me that you aren't going to read anymore... that isn't going to make me stop writing the story the way I want to write.

To second "Guest" review. I'm sorry, but I'm not changing the summary. It is not a Tiva story. And others have complained? You mean "Natalie" from the very first chapter? THAT was months ago and I put a label in the summary that it wasn't Tiva, since then NO ONE but you has questioned whether or not it was Tiva. It would be more misleading if I labeled it Tiva because I have no intention of hooking Tony and Ziva up and that wouldn't be fair to people who do like Tiva stories. So if you don't even like a Tony and Ziva friendship than I guess this story isn't for you. But again, not going to change my summary over your one complaint. But to say it is WRONG of me to not change the summary is jumping to conclusions because only I know where the story is going. Again, if I changed it to TIVA that would be even more misleading.

Sorry to everyone else, but I'm getting tired of these drive by snipes on my stories because I don't write characters the way people want me too. Usually I delete them but I've had enough and felt I needed to respond this time. *Sigh* They really do make it difficult sometimes to keep writing, but I'm going too because I know that there are many more people enjoying the stories than bashing them :)

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><p>Gibbs pulled his truck up to Tony's house and shut the engine down. He looked over at his passenger. "Are you sure you're up for this? It's been a long day."<p>

Ziva sighed and reached for the handle on the door. "This is something I have to do Gibbs."

"Okay. I'll wait out here if you need me."

She smiled but she doubted she was going to need him. It was nice to know that after everything she had put the team through, they still cared and wanted to help her. But she had to do things on her own and make her own path with the help of others that were completely separated from NCIS. Which was the whole point of leaning on the counselors and support groups back at the shelter.

Carefully she made her way up to the front door of Tony's house and rang the bell. Her stomach churned with anxiety. What if he was angry she had shown up? What if he didn't want to talk to her? The support group she had joined at the shelter and her therapist both told her that she needed to make peace with her past before she could embrace her future. "Hello, Tony," she greeted with a smile when he opened the door.

Tony was surprised to see her. "Ziva? What are you doing here?"

"Is it alright if I come in for a few minutes?"

"Yeah...sure."

Ziva stepped inside the warm house and waited until he had closed the door behind them. "I wanted to...apologize. I know that everything that happened back in May...you were just doing your job. And I was...I was angry. At everything. I never should have questioned your abilities as a field agent."

Tony's brow furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. He was confused why she was here, months later apologizing, but given what he knew about the shelter she was staying at, he had a feeling this had something to do with her therapy. "Everyone makes mistakes, Ziva. Even you."

"I grew up not being able to make mistakes. Making a mistake was life or death. It was ironic that my _mistake _to let you and the others become my friends almost killed me," she replied, sadly.

"You mean taking the mission to Somalia so your father would lift the hit?" he asked.

Ziva shook her head. "My father never put the hit on you. That was Michael. When I confronted my father about it, he told me that he didn't know who I was loyal to anymore, NCIS or him. He was furious when I admitted that Gibbs and the team had been better family to me than my own flesh and blood."

Tony was now more confused, he was about to question her on it when Kaitlin demanded his attention. He moved into the living room and took the baby out of her playpen. Turning about he found Ziva standing in the entrance. Ironcially the same one that Rivkin had died in back in May. The blood stains were all out of the wood by now and everything that had been broken in the fight had been repaired, but the memory would always linger for him.

She was looking at the baby, thoughtfully. "Can I?" she requested, gesturing for Tony to hand Kaitlin over. He gently transferred the little girl into his former partner's arms and Kaitlin smiled at her.

"I think she likes you," Tony said softly.

"Or...she is just like her father and uses her smile to charm people."

"Good point. Maybe she does."

Ziva studied the pretty baby's face and it only solidified her decision to go on the mission to kill Saleem. Tony would have been devastated if he lost his little girl.

"If your father didn't order Rivkin to kill me...then why take the mission to Somalia?" Tony asked, bringing them back on topic.

"He gave me a choice. To finish what Michael had started, to prove my loyalty to him or he would...he would make sure that my American friends would suffer," she recalled, fighting her tears. "He threatened to take Kaitlin away from you, make her disappear."

Her words were like a hammer on his heart. Eli David had the means. He would have made it happen at any cost. And Tony never would have seen Kaitlin again. It would have destroyed him and the team. "There...there had to be some other way, Ziva!"

She shook her head. "No. I had burned my bridges with NCIS. I...I was ready to die."

"Don't play the martyr," Tony snapped. "There were other ways and you know it. But you chose not to use them, why?"

"There was nothing in my heart but hatred and death. It seemed...it seemed fitting."

"Fitting?" Tony nearly shouted. "Your father is a monster, Ziva."

Ziva let her tears fall down her cheeks and she pressed one into the baby's soft head of hair. "I know," she said, softly. "If...Tony...when I came to NCIS...my intentions were to never spy on any of you. I came here to get away...from Eli. I...allowed him to suck me back in after Jenny died."

Tony took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Ziva...I..."

"It is fine, Tony. You do not have to say anything. It is done and the past. We have to make peace with it."

"Peace. Have you found that yet, Ziva?"

"Getting closer everyday."

"Really?"

"Yes," she said, shyly, "I have...I have made a friend in Baltimore. His name is Derek."

Tony quirked a small, teasing grin, because he really couldn't help himself. "Just a friend, Ms. David?"

Ziva blushed. "For now, yes. Maybe it will be more later."

"Good. I'm happy for you."

"I should...I should probably go. Gibbs is waiting for me to take me back to Baltimore. And...the team was handed a case today so I know he is busy," Ziva said. Quickly she gave the baby a kiss and handed her back to her father. She smiled at both Tony and Kaitlin. "Shalom."

Tony repeated the phrase and went to hold the door for her open. "Hey," he said as she walked back towards the car, "you don't have to be a stranger you know."

Ziva opened the door to Gibbs' truck. "I know," she replied, still smiling as she got inside. Gibbs started the truck up and they were on their way again.

"Do you feel better?" the lead agent questioned.

"Yes," the former Mossad operative replied. "Now everyone can move on, not just me."

"Uh-huh," Gibbs said. "But you don't have to be a stranger, DiNozzo's right. Just because that Mossad part of you is gone, doesn't mean you do not have friends here."

Ziva sighed and looked out the window at the passing scenery. "I think it is best that I keep my distance, for a little while at least. The wounds are still fresh and they need proper time to heal."

Gibbs nodded and let out a small sigh. "First step was clearing the air, what's the second step, Ziva?"

"Starting my life over," Ziva responded, smiling as she thought about Derek and his two year old son. Her anger had stemmed from wanting a family so badly that she blamed everyone, even down to a small infant. Now, she had a chance to have that family, to fall in love and be happy. And she had given Tony the same chance. She prayed he would find a nice woman and take it.

* * *

><p>Kaitlin had discovered the art of splashing while in the bath tub. Right now she was making it difficult for her father to wash her hair and bathe her. By the time Tony was done his shirt was soaking wet and they both smelled like <em>Baby Magic. <em>

Tony was too preoccupied with the thoughts of Eli David threatening to take his daughter away from him to really notice or care. He loved the job, but he loved his daughter as well, and he was going to have to take even more action to make sure she was safe. Wrapping her into a fluffy towel, he carried her back into her bedroom.

She babbled away quite happily while her father dried her off and changed her. When he was done he sat her up on the changing table and combed her hair. Kaitlin looked up at her father while he did so and gave him her best grin. Tony chuckled thinking back to what Ziva had said, about his daughter using her smile to charm people like her father did.

"Well, whatever works, right?" he told the baby as he finished up with her hair. Gently he lifted her off the changing table and went to sit in the rocking chair. He found one of her favorite books and began to read. He was halfway through _Good Night, Moon, _when his cell rang. "Sorry," he told the baby, "I have to take his. Rule three."

Gibbs wasn't on the other end, like Tony was expecting, rather it was McGee. "_Just...everything okay? We haven't heard anything so...we're assuming that no news is good news...right?" _

Tony chuckled. "Yeah everything is fine. Had a rather exciting day for being home."

"_Tell me about it. Wait...did Ziva come talk to you too?" _

"Yeah."

"_Oh...so you know...you know about her father?" _

"That he's a ruthless, heartless, bastard? Yes. I know."

McGee paused and Tony could hear him fiddling with something in the background, probably a computer. "_Are you...are you okay? I mean...she told you that her father was going to...well...pretty much make it like Kaitlin didn't exist."_

Tony looked down at the baby in his arms, at her expectant look while he finished up his phone call. Was he okay? No. Not really. He'd been told that a tyrant had threatened his child. But there was nothing he could do about it now. It was in the past and thankfully, the Navy Seal team had done their job and gotten Saleem, while NCIS had done theirs and quietly erased all traces of Ziva from that camp. Eli coming after Kaitlin now would be pointless. _Unless of course he wants to hold something else over NCIS' head, _Tony thought, as a knot in his stomach tightened. "No," he told McGee. "I'm not okay. Because...it's never truly over with Mossad, now is it?"

"_Vance knows. If NCIS ever has to work with Mossad again, he's going to keep that in mind, Tony," _McGee replied. "_Everyone is going to make sure she's safe...alright? She might be your daughter but...well...we all love her."_

"Aw, did you hear that, Katie," Tony cooed at the baby, "Uncle Timmy loves you."

Kaitlin grinned and sucked on her thumb. Tony gave her a little kiss on her nose and she giggled. He suddenly did feel better, because somehow he knew McGee was right. Gibbs especially would make sure nothing happened to his daughter. And it was nice to know that he had Vance on his side. With a little sigh he thanked McGee for calling to check on them and gave his partner permission to tell Abby.

After he had hung up he went to the front of the book and started reading all over again, "Good night, moon..."


	39. Separation Anxiety

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Child's Play".

**A/N: **Just a recap in the last chapter before Ziva went to see Tony- McGee, Gibbs, and Erin were called away on a case. That was the case we saw in "Child's Play" and it will be heavily referenced in the next few chapters, ending with hopefully the entire team at Ducky's for Thanksgiving.

**S-**_ there needed to be closure on that arc, that last chapter was that. She's met someone and she wants Tony to meet someone. And yes, the holidays are going to be fun! Can you just see it now how much Abby is going to spoil Katie at Christmas? Oh boy!_

**Cokeskb-** _the Mary Sue comment made me scratch my head because I don't think Ziva in this story fits the definition of Mary Sue. On the series, especially the last two seasons she was there, the writers made her into Super Girl, and that was a little bit annoying. _

* * *

><p>"Hey sleepy head," Tony cooed when he woke Kaitlin up on a rainy start to the week of Thanksgiving. "Time to get up and get ready. You have a big day ahead of you! First day at daycare today."<p>

Kaitlin whined in protest while Tony brought her to the changing table. He'd laid out her clothes the night before, a red jumper and white long-sleeved shirt. She didn't protest too much to getting changed and dressed, nor did she protest too much about getting breakfast. However, she was not happy to put into her winter coat and brought out to the car.

Tony, backpack over one shoulder and diaper bag over the other, gently walked along the frosty driveway, and opened his SUV. He placed the fussy baby into the car seat, secured the straps around her and frowned. "I know, I know, I've changed the routine. But Dr. Benson and Nanny both think going to daycare is beneficial to your socialization. Nanny is going to pick you up after a few hours. Don't worry, it's just a couple of days a week, okay peanut?"

He shut the door to the car and climbed in himself. Kaitlin fussed the entire way to the daycare center and by the time he was getting her out of the car seat, she was glaring at him angrily. He apologized to her again and then marveled how much she made him break rule six. With a slight shake of his head, Tony carried her inside. The rain had let up overnight and it promised to be a sunny day, which eased Tony's worries about Jane driving with Kaitlin in the backseat for the first time in winter. He'd gotten her a carbon copy of the baby's car seat in his own car, but he'd never seen the woman drive and for all he knew she was like Gibbs.

_God, I hope she doesn't drive like Gibbs, _Tony thought as he caught the eye of the receptionist, Ellen. She smiled. "Good morning, Kaitlin! Miss Jessica is so excited about your first day!"

"Wish I could say Kaitlin was just as excited," Tony muttered.

"Don't worry, Mr. DiNozzo, she is going to be just fine," Ellen assured him getting up from her seat. She gestured for Tony to follow.

They made their way down brightly decorated halls and he could hear the laughter of the older children while they played. His neighbor had suggested this place to him and Abby had done extensive research for him on it. Tony had visited before registering the baby and the baby herself had come on a visit where the staff in her room could be introduced to her with her father present. Kaitlin had not taken to them like she had Jane or his team, and this worried Tony, even though the director of the center said that many babies were apprehensive about meeting the staff.

Ellen opened the door to the infant room. There were several cribs and changing tables. It was painted a light yellow, with decals of _Winnie the Pooh _characters. There were swings and rocking chairs and toys of all kinds.

Jessica Clarkson was the lead caretaker in the room and she was a happy, go-lucky red head from England, who spoke with an accent that reminded Tony of his maternal grandmother. She was the first to greet Tony and Kaitlin with a big smile. "Hi Kaitlin! We're so happy you're going to spend the morning with us!" she exclaimed as she took the baby from Tony's arms.

Kaitlin studied the woman for a moment, and then looked back at her father. Tony slid the diaper bag off his shoulder. "The nanny is going to pick her up at twelve thirty. There's a change of clothes in her bag, bottles ready to go, and a couple of jars of baby food. If you need me…Ellen has my cell phone."

"We're not going to have to call, are we Kaitlin?" Jessica asked the baby sweetly. "Ok, Daddy has to go to work now, let's say bye-bye."

Tony took that as his cue. He gently placed a kiss on her head and with Ellen, turned on his heel, leaving the room. He'd been instructed by the doctor, by Jane, and by the director of the center, that leaving her was going to be harder on him—even if she started to cry. Sure enough when Ellen closed the door and Tony disappeared from her sight, she let out a shrill, terrified cry. His heart dropped into his stomach.

Ellen reached out and patted him on the back. "She'll be fine," she repeated. "Jess has handled dozens of babies that go through separation anxiety."

"Any suggestions for parents going through it," Tony asked as they walked, cringing at the sound of Kaitlin crying for him.

"Let our staff handle it," Ellen said with a smile. "If she is still struggling in a few weeks, we'll come up with a new plan. But most babies settle in relatively quickly."

_You don't know how stubborn she is, _Tony thought as he sighed and nodded his head, and with Ellen's promise that she'd call him when Kaitlin stopped crying, Tony got into his car and began the trek to NCIS. _This has been the longest week of my life—and it's only Tuesday._

* * *

><p>It was close to two hours after Tony had left the baby at the daycare center that his cell phone rang. Kaitlin had <em>finally <em>stopped crying and fallen asleep. Tony tried to breathe easier knowing that she had stopped crying, but he knew that she had only stopped because she had worn herself out, not because she was starting to feel comfortable.

Tony tried to shove those thoughts from his mind and focused on the task at hand, which was solving this murder. A marine showing up in a cornfield, with a missing hand, was not something you saw everyday. And now, as Tony and Gibbs drove to where the marine worked as a guard at the Salter Institute, he had completely shoved those _daddy _thoughts from his mind and switched to _federal agent _mode. Delicate balancing act if there ever was one.

When they arrived, they were met outside by a petite, rather pretty brunette, and in his heydays Tony might have asked her out. "I'm sorry to hear about Lance Corporal Lazatta," Krista Dalton said, as she led the way inside. "How did he die?"

"Not very nicely," Tony mused while they walked.

"Ms. Dalton, we need to know what Corporal Lazatta was guarding," Gibbs said.

Krista opened the door where children of varying ages were playing video games, board games, and reading books. Both agents were suddenly very confused. "He was guarding a daycare center?" Tony said, tossing a look at Gibbs.

Gibbs shook his head. "Oh no, we aren't asking the Marines to guard Kaitlin's daycare center."

"Boss..."

"DiNozzo!"

Tony knew when to shut up and went to wander around the room. Gibbs gave a slight shake of his head and let the SFA do his thing. "Why are the marines guarding children here?" he directed his question at Krista.

Krista watched as Tony hopped onto a motorcycle video game. "These children are incredibly gifted and talented, Agent Gibbs, the military values their intelligence."

"By testing it?"

"Oh, no they test ours."

"Where are their parents?" Tony asked, while operating the game.

"We have an arrangement with them. The kids spend one or two weeks here and then the other weeks at home," Krista replied. "It seems to work for our families."

Gibbs noticed that these kids had incredible focus. _If only I could get DiNozzo to focus like this, _the former marine thought with mild amusement. "Any of these kids close to Corporal Lazatta?"

Krista nodded. "One. Angela Kelp. She seemed...distracted lately, so I asked Lazatta to keep an eye on her. They hit it off right away. I can take you to see her."

"Please," Gibbs said, turning to find Tony, who was now playing with a guitar. He grabbed a ball and tossed it at the SFA, startling him. All he had to do was look at Tony for the younger agent to know what he wanted. Tony put the guitar down and followed behind his boss. He reached out and lightly smacked the SFA on the back of the head. "_That's _for loosing focus. Do you want to make it to Thanksgiving dinner at Ducky's or not?"

"Sorry boss," Tony mumbled. "But you know...sometimes...fiddling like that helps me think."

"Yeah," Gibbs replied. "I wasn't talking about you playing video games or the guitar Tony."

Tony was puzzled. "What were you talking about?"

Gibbs cracked a grin. "Your getting off task and asking if the marines could guard Kaitlin's daycare. Something tells me the Pentagon is not going to go for that."

* * *

><p>McGee wasn't surprised when Tony was ambushed by Ducky just before leaving that night. The SFA had not been around when the medical examiner had handed out his invitations to Thanksgiving dinner. The longer this case dragged on, the more it looked like no one was going to be able to make dinner anywhere, period.<p>

Tony's eyes shifted towards the elevator door. He was already two hours late picking up Kaitlin and Ducky seemed to be about ready to go into one of his story-telling modes. "Yeah, Ducky, we'll...we'll be there for Thanksgiving. Promise."

"Good. I have picked a few sides dishes that will be easy on Kaitlin's little tummy," Ducky said with a grin. "And I am sure she is just going to love my grandmother's recipe for apple pie."

"Yeah...apple pie, sounds great," Tony gasped, running for the elevator, "sorry gotta go!"

McGee laughed out loud this time. "Never thought I'd see the day that Tony would consistently be the one out of here before all of us."

Ducky smiled. "None of us ever thought we would see the day that the boy became a father. But it has, and that little girl keeps him on his toes...in the good way of course. I should probably get going. I have lots of things to do before you all come over for dinner on Thursday and you have a case."

"Hopefully we close this case by then, Ducky," McGee called after him.

"You will, Timothy," Ducky assured him before disappearing.

McGee silently wished that he had that much confidence, because right now things were not looking that bright.


	40. Longest Week Ever

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Child's Play".

**A/N: **Sorry this has taken so long. I have been rewriting and revamping "My Sweetest Friend" and that has taken up the majority of my time, but that's a story for another day. Since it has been a while here is a recap: Kaitlin was not too happy about starting daycare, Tony hated leaving her, and the team is hoping to wrap up the case in time for Thanksgiving dinner at Ducky's.

**S-**_just what Tony needs, right, his daughter picking up the infamous Gibbs stare lol_

**anne-** _thank you! So glad you are enjoying my take on Daddy Tony!_

* * *

><p>Kaitlin was playing when Tony arrived to pick her up but she didn't greet him with her normal enthusiasm. In fact, she looked at him rather harshly. <em>Nine months and she's already holding grudges, <em>he thought as he gave her his best smile. "Daycare couldn't have been _that _bad," he said, picking her up and kissing her, gently.

Tony hugged her, wishing she could understand how terribly difficult it had been for him to leave her, screaming like that. "I really do love you, peanut," he whispered to her. _It hurt so much to leave you crying. _He gave her another little kiss which earned him a tiny, little smile.

"She really will get over it, Anthony," Jane told him, handing him Kaitlin's things and a Tupperware of left-overs. "Once she realizes that you always come back for her at the end of the day, it will be like nothing happened."

"We'll see how it goes tomorrow when she has to be there the _whole _day," Tony lamented, taking his dinner from Jane. He tossed the nanny a warm smile, "Happy Thanksgiving, Jane. Hope you get to kick back and relax for a while."

Jane pat him on the cheek affectionately. "You make it sound like spending my days with this baby is a chore, Anthony. It's not. I love every moment of it. She's a delightful little treasure."

Tony smiled at his baby, while getting her bundled up to head out into the cold. "Yeah. She is. Gibbs was right, the good does outweigh the bad. And I do have lots to be thankful for this year. Even if this wasn't exactly how I planned on becoming a dad."

"Don't get yourself down, Anthony," Jane told him. "You're a wonderful father. There are lots of babies out there that need someone like you, and sadly they never get that kind of love."

Kaitlin let out a whiny noise, indicating that she was ready to go home. Tony said his farewell to Jane and wished her a happy Thanksgiving again and headed outside into the cold. He got the baby into her car seat and in no time she had drifted off to sleep on their short drive home. Tony smiled at her in the rearview mirror. _Yeah, _he concluded, _I have a lot to be thankful for. _

* * *

><p>Gibbs noticed the disheartened look on Tony's face when he arrived at work the next morning. "Daycare didn't go so well?" he mused, watching as his senior field agent dropped his backpack down next to his desk.<p>

Tony shook his head but didn't say anything. Truth was he really didn't want to talk about. It had gone a lot worse today than it had yesterday. Immediately Kaitlin knew what being at the daycare meant and had started to cry before he had even gotten in the door. She had screamed, hysterically, and it broke his heart into about a thousand pieces. Finally, he muttered, "I don't want her to hate me, boss."

"Aw hell, Tony," Gibbs said with a wave of his hand. "She isn't going to hate you."

"Leaving her is so damn hard," Tony argued, "On _both _of us."

"Her reaction to you leaving means she _trusts _you, DiNozzo. She just needs time to learn to trust the daycare providers too."

"Well, if this keeps up, she's going to kill me from a broken heart."

Gibbs chuckled. If only Tony knew how much that little girl was going to "break his heart". But...he didn't have the heart to tell his senior field agent this just yet. Not when Tony was sitting at his desk with a defeated look on his face. It was probably a well known fact that separation anxiety was harder on the parent than the actual child. After all, Kaitlin was not going to remember screaming and crying for her father like this when she was eighteen years old.

Tony rubbed his hands over his face and let out a frustrated little growl. Again, it had been the longest week of his life and judging how slow the case was moving so far, added to the baby's horrible separation anxiety, it was only going to get even longer. Kaitlin, at some point, in her little life, was going to be the death of him. He was sure of this and despite knowing that he loved her just the same. "Where are McGee and Erin?" he asked the team leader, pulling his hands away from his face and finding Gibbs across the bullpen.

"Picking up Angela."

"Why? Did she remember something else?"

"I think she has more to tell us and she's afraid too."

Tony snapped his fingers. "Which reminds me...Kaitlin was up at three this morning looking for a snack. I looked into Darlene Kelp's bank accounts. Found something interesting. The last couple of years she's averaged around forty-three thousand but in the last three months alone she has made _three _additional deposits of sixty thousand. Something's up boss. I don't think this is gang related like we believed when we learned that Trevor had ties to a local gang."

Gibbs' brow furrowed. He took a sip of his coffee. "I know you loved talking to Eddy yesterday, DiNozzo, why don't you go and bring him back in here?"

"You're a peach, boss," Tony said with a sarcastic smile as he gathered up his jacket and gear. As he was moving towards the elevator, his desk phone gave a sharp trill. He glanced at it and then at Gibbs. It had to be the daycare calling him, it as still a little too early in the day for anyone to be returning messages he'd left.

"Go on, answer it," Gibbs said, slipping into his jacket. "I'll go pick up Eddy."

Tony dashed back to his desk and answered the phone. Like he suspected it was the daycare and also like he expected they weren't sure how to calm Kaitlin down that morning. "Did you try singing to her? Her teddy bear is in her bag..." he suggested, but the provider shot those down. They had tried _everything _he had recommended. And off all days...Jane wasn't available to go pick the baby up early. He glanced at his watch and sighed, heavily. He knew that Gibbs, Vance, maybe even SecNav would scold him for this later, but he promised to pick her up in about an hour.

Slamming the phone down onto the receiver, he jotted a note for Gibbs on a sticky pad and placed it on the team leader's monitor. With a deep breath he grabbed his phone again and dialed. "Hey..." he said, sweetly, when Abby picked up, "I need a _huge _favor."

* * *

><p>It was close to three o'clock in the afternoon when Gibbs decided to put Angela into protective custody. Another body had turned up and thanks to the information that Eddy Castillo had given Tony the death of their marine wasn't gang related. In fact, Lazatta had asked Eddy for help concerning Angela. Now that Krista Dalton's sister was dead too it was appearing to be a giant cover up.<p>

McGee decided that he needed a break from the bullpen and went down to the lab to see if Abby had anything else for him, especially about the photographs that were found on Angela's camera. "Abs," he called when he stepped into the lab, "Did you figure out what those photographs are yet?"

"Angela had her own secret code," Abby said, spinning about. It was then McGee noticed she had Kaitlin. "Katie and I just cracked it."

"Highly doubt Kaitlin had a thing to do with you cracking it," McGee muttered with a smile, "But...what was the code?"

"Frequency jamming signals, communication codes for every ship, plane, and helicopter in the Navy and Marines," Abby replied.

McGee felt his shoulders stiffen. _Well, this case has gone to hell in a hand-basket, _he thought. "So...she was going to sell them?" he asked out loud and then it dawned on him. The bank accounts that Tony had looked into the night before. "Someone was going to sell them for her." He reached for his cell phone and was about to call Gibbs when it vibrated in his hand. Tony's name flashed across the screen. "Yeah, DiNozzo, I was just going to call Gibbs," he answered.

Tony didn't give him much time to explain. "_Angela's gone," _he stated. "_Gibbs wants a BOLO and an Amber Alert out ASAP."__  
><em>

_"_Yeah...I'll get on that now," McGee said going to the computer. He slid his phone against his shoulder so he could type. "Tony...it looks like either Angela or her mother were selling military secrets in those photographs."

"_Damn, and just when I thought this case was going nowhere," _Tony muttered before hanging up.

Abby hugged Kaitlin. "The girl is missing?"

McGee nodded as he finished up what he was doing. "Yeah. Gotta go. Gibbs is probably going to want us at Ducky's."

"Don't worry," Abby told the baby after McGee was gone. "They're going to figure this out so she we can all celebrate your first Thanksgiving. Promise."

Kaitlin just smiled at her, innocent and unaware of all the chaos that was around her at the moment. She was probably just happy to be away from daycare and with someone she knew. Abby realized then that it had been a rough week for all of them.


	41. Thankful

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Child's Play".

**A/N: **Still plugging away at the rewrite of "My Sweetest Friend." I know that updates are not coming as fast as they were but real life has taken over in the last few weeks, however I will be on vacation starting Friday for two weeks. I hope to spend it writing and sitting out in my garden in the sun. Here's crossing my fingers for good weather :)

**Psyche53-** _Thank you! Yes, hopefully Kaitlin does settle down soon but well...she is rather stubborn lol_

**NCIS Fan-** _Tony will be in BIG trouble if she does learn that screaming gets her what she wants haha_

* * *

><p>Tony could feel the lack of sleep from the night before catching up to him as their car raced towards the Kelp's home. After not being able to reach Darlene Kelp all afternoon, Gibbs had made the decision that they were going to pay her a visit to figure out what was going on.<p>

"Ducky thinks that Angela is trying to protect her mother," Erin said. "Maybe that's why she fled the house."

"Protect her from who?" McGee said next to Erin. "I mean...we haven't figured out _who _wanted her to put those codes in the art."

Gibbs pushed the Charger to its limits. "Whoever killed Lazatta and Debra wanted us to believe that it was gang retribution. They probably didn't anticipate Tony being up at three o'clock in the morning looking at bank accounts and finding the money trail."

Tony groaned, slightly. "_I _wasn't anticipating being up at three in the morning looking at bank accounts. I think it was Kaitlin's version of payback for leaving her at daycare...getting up at three A.M."

"Aw, but's she's so cute," Erin teased him.

"Yeah," McGee piped in. "And she knows it."

He wasn't going to disagree with any of them, so Tony remained silent. The truth was, this case was unnerving him. He'd already been faced with a reality that his daughter could be in danger because of his job, but now the possibility that she could be used against him, for some scumbag to get what they wanted, well...that made his stomach churn. _Or was that the clam chowder I ate for lunch? _Tony thought, with a silent groan. Either way, he just wanted this whole thing to be over.

Gibbs pulled the car into the Kelp's driveway. The lights to the house were on and Darlene's car was present, meaning either something was wrong or she had been ignoring Gibbs all day. Considering that she was pretty mad at the federal agents, Tony wrote this off as a plausible explanation. Until Angela appeared in their headlights and held her hands up, signaling she wanted the team to stay outside while she ran into the house. Gibbs shut the lights off and the car down.

Tony pursed his lips together before asking, "What's the plan boss?"

"Get into position and wait."

"Wait for what?"

"Something to happen, apparently, DiNozzo," Gibbs replied getting out of the Charger.

The rest of the team followed suit. McGee and Erin went to cover the back while Gibbs and Tony covered the front. It was freezing out and Tony wished he had on a warmer coat than his NCIS jacket. As he rubbed his hands together, he briefly wondered if he had remembered Kaitlin's hat. They were in such a rush that morning and then in the turmoil of leaving her at daycare, Tony couldn't recall putting the knit cap that the bowling nuns had made her into her bag. Maybe he could send Abby a quick text to check...

He glanced up to see Gibbs staring at him from his position. Tony froze and decided he wanted to keep his job for Thanksgiving, and didn't send Abby a text. How the team leader knew his thoughts were straying Tony would never know or begin to understand. It was just a gift that Gibbs had. Settling back into position, Tony waited with the rest of them, for what they weren't exactly sure.

It didn't take them that long to find out, because the front door opened and Norvell-the one that worked so close with Angela-stepped out, gun in hand, threatening the team, while keeping a strong hold on Angela. Tony saw Gibbs flash him a look and he cocked his weapon, lining up his shot. _Don't shoot her ear off, _he heard Kate's voice tease him in his head and he swallowed. _Kate...I miss you...you always had my back, Kate. Never had to worry when I was with you. _

Gibbs had dropped to one knee and was talking, Tony was too busy concentrating on keeping his shot lined up that he wasn't sure what was being said. There was some geek speak thrown in there when Gibbs asked Angela a question about the probability of Tony making the shot and then, the team leader snapped out, "DiNozzo!" and Tony released the trigger.

Norvell was dead and Angela was unharmed. Tony lowered his gun and he released the nervous breath he was holding.

"Hey, not bad, DiNozzo," Gibbs said with a slight smile as Darlene emerged from the house. "You even let her keep her ears."

"Yeah," Tony cocked a grin, "Kate would be proud...I think."

Gibbs watched as Angela and Darlene hugged, listened to the sounds of the sirens approaching. He glanced at his SFA for a moment. It was a no brainer to him that there were a lot of things that Kate would have been proud of. And it was a terrible shame that she never got to tell Tony any of it. Kate had pushed him in ways to make him better. Ziva-and sometimes McGee-just pushed him. What a mess all their lives had become since that fateful May afternoon.

As Tony filled the local LEO's in what had happened, Gibbs realized something-Kaitlin had put the entire team back together. They had strayed off the path of taking care of one another until that baby had come along. She wasn't just good for Tony, she was good for all of them. They never spent holidays together, never really bothered to check in with one another if they had a place to go. They just assumed, which was breaking a rule, but that digression aside-everyone had wanted to spend Thanksgiving together this year. After all, it was Kaitlin's first major holiday and Abby said it had to be special.

"Boss," Tony said breaking through his thoughts, "Do you want me to call Ducky?"

"Nah, let the local coroner handle this one," Gibbs said, nodding towards the local LEO's and then gesturing towards his team. "Come on, we have a bit of a drive and a busy day tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Both Tony and Kaitlin woke up a bit late on Thanksgiving morning. Yesterday had been quite the day for <em>both <em>of them. So, cup of coffee in hand, Tony sat with the baby on his lap while they watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Kaitlin was pretty entertained by all the floats and balloons and music. She even giggled when she saw Sesame Street characters that she recognized. By the time she was done with watching the parade, Tony was done with his coffee.

He carried her upstairs to her room and found the dress that Abby had bought. She had insisted that everyone were to dress up to go to dinner at Ducky's. Tony smiled while he dressed the baby in her little orange dress with brown tights and black patten leather shoes. She looked more like a pumpkin to him than a baby, but he had to admit she looked awfully cute.

Kaitlin didn't seem bothered by her attire. She chewed on her fingers and sang, sat on his bed while he dressed in one of his nicer suits and entertained herself. An hour after the parade was over they were bundled up and headed towards Ducky's. The baby napped along the way, which was good because Tony was sure she was going to be shuffled around all afternoon between his teammates. Not that Kaitlin minded, but when she was a cranky baby she didn't like to leave Daddy's side too often.

When they arrived Abby came bounding out of the house, like she had been waiting for them and scooped the baby out of her car seat, who was a little overwhelmed by being woken up in such a way. However, Tony was starting to wonder if perhaps Kaitlin was getting used to her Auntie Abby's quirky ways. "Did you get to watch the parade with her?"

"Yeah. She liked the balloons the most," Tony said, grabbing the diaper bag and a bottle of wine.

"I knew you would!" Abby exclaimed cheerfully as she carried the baby into the house.

Almost immediately there were happy greetings for the infant when she paraded was into the living room. Jimmy was there, as was Erin and her boyfriend, and McGee had brought his sister, who surprisingly gushed over Kaitlin, wanting to hold her. Abby wasn't quite ready to give her up and Kaitlin wasn't quite ready to be shoved into the arms of a stranger. Auntie Abby was fine...Sarah McGee apparently was not.

McGee grinned at his baby sister. "Don't worry. She didn't like me at first either. And she still isn't that sure about me."

"She certainly has her favorites," Tony commented, slipping out of his jacket and hanging it up. He helped Kaitlin out of hers.

"Daddy being her absolute favorite, of course," Abby said, with a chuckle. Kaitlin rewarded her with a board grin.

Tony wasn't so sure he was her favorite this week, not after the episodes at the daycare center. But since he had the rest of the week off, well...he wouldn't have to worry about daycare until Monday. Right now he was just going to enjoy the time he was getting to spend with his daughter and his team.

Kaitlin backed up Abby's statement, however, by fussing and looking at her father with big hazel eyes. Tony obliged her wish, happy to be back on her good side and took her from the scientist. She rested her little head on his shoulder where she pretty much stayed until she heard the front door open and glanced up. "Ibs!"

Gibbs had to grin at her happy, gleeful smile and was reminded of last night, when he realized how much this baby had changed them all for the better. She stuck a finger in her mouth and continued to smile at him, making him nostalgic for his own daughter. But even so, he didn't think of Kelly with such a pain in his heart anymore since Kaitlin had come into this world. She eased the pain, gave him a grandbaby he never thought he'd have.

"Ibs?" she questioned, eyes brows shooting up in confusion.

He went to her and gave her a soft kiss. When he pulled back the confusion in her face was gone replaced with her usually happy look of adoration-as if everything was alright in her little world. And, Gibbs concluded, it probably was.

Now that Gibbs was here, Ducky decided that they could all eat. He had made sure there was food that was going to be gentle on the baby's tummy, as well as a delicious spread for the adults.

"Hey," McGee said, suddenly, hand around his glass of white wine. "I think...I think this is the first holiday we've spent together."

"Well, then," Ducky said, raising his own glass. "This calls for a toast. We maybe a mismatched, little family, but...we are just that...a family. I do not think I could ask for a better one."


	42. Christmas Tidings

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Faith"

**A/N: **I know it has been a while since I updated this story. And I wasn't planning on having an update ready until Saturday but my neighbors decided to shoot off fireworks last night and I was wide awake afterwards. I'm all for a little patriotism but not so much at eleven o'clock in the evening. Also, I've decided not to go too in depth on the case part of this episode. The parts that I really enjoyed focused on the team.

**Guest-**_yes, I think little Kaitlin is awesome too, but I might be bias ;). And I love how she can already read Gibbs, does make her very much like her daddy. _

* * *

><p>Kaitlin, much to Tony's chagrin, laughed every time she heard the Chipmunk Christmas Song. Which led to Abby playing it for the baby as much as possible throughout the entire holiday season. By the second week of December he was ready to throw his iPod out the car window as he drove down 695.<p>

But seeing that baby's face light up when she heard the song, hearing her laughter, well, that was what Christmas was about and he had never experienced something like this before. Christmas wasn't a happy time in the DiNozzo household, not after his mother passed and he'd never reconnected with his father to spend the time together.

On top of discovering that she liked to listen to the Chipmunks that December, Kaitlin had also decided that she was ready to stand by herself. Tony went into near panic mode when he caught her using the sofa to pull herself up and then let go, falling backwards and coming within inches of the coffee table. And to his dismay she wasn't bothered by it because she attempted to do it again, only this time Tony scooped her up and plopped her into her play pen before she could get hurt.

"Listen," Tony told her, somewhat sternly, "One person prone to concussions in this family is enough."

"Da," Kaitlin responded with a wide grin, pointing her finger at him.

Tony reached into the crib and ruffled her hair, but then got back to work sorting through all the old Christmas decorations that he had somehow inherited from his English grandparents over the years. Before the baby he never even bothered to take them out and put them up. Christmas was just another holiday that he spent alone. Until he came to Washington and Gibbs found out. Since then Tony had been spending the holiday with the boss, having cowboy steak and beer. Nothing special but it meant a lot to Tony. However, this was Kaitlin's first Christmas and he didn't need Abby to tell him that he had to do something to mark the occasion.

Kaitlin wasn't particularly interested in what her father was doing nor was she interested in the festivities around her. She was more interested in her attempts to stand and give her daddy a heart attack.

"Hello?" Abby's voice called from the back. "I brought egg nog! Where are you!"

"In the living room!" Tony shouted back.

Abby appeared, dressed in plaid, her favorite skull Santa sweater on. Kaitlin grinned at her and let go of the side of the play pen, attempting to stand on her own. She wasn't successful and plopped back on to the mat."Uh-oh," Abby murmured, "looks like someone wants to walk."

Tony frowned at the baby. He was just wrapping his brain around the idea of her standing up by herself, let alone taking her first steps. "Yeah...well...Daddy isn't ready for that. Besides, she's only ten months old."

"My niece walked at eleven months. It can happen, Tony. Especially if she has the will."

"Great. She'll be walking by the end of the month."

Kaitlin giggled and smiled at them like she knew what they were talking about. Her father remembered Erin talking about how cute she was, and he laughed. Yes, she was cute and yes, Tim was right she _absolutely _knew it.

Abby chuckled and lifted her out of the crib. "Should we get started on that tree?"

Tony slid the box of his mother's old ornaments and decorations towards the beautiful spruce tree that they had picked out earlier that day and set up. Kaitlin reached out and touched the spiny branches and yanked her hand back when the needles pricked her. She frowned at it, not sure what to make of this large tree in the middle of her living room. He watched, warmly as Abby gave her an ornament and guided her towards the tree. "Wait!" he exclaimed, startled both Abby and Kaitlin. He grabbed his camera on the coffee table. Abby grinned at him. "You always say I should document _everything."_

"We'll never get done if you're snapping all these photos," Abby argued, playfully.

"Sorry," Tony said with a shrug. "I just...I just want Katie's first Christmas to be special."

"In that case," Abby said, handing him the baby and taking the camera, "_You _should be in the photos!"

He didn't argue with her. Knew better not to argue with her and about two dozen photos later the tree was decorated and they were lounging on the sofa sipping egg nog, Kaitlin snuggled up underneath her blanket, fast asleep on Tony's chest. As he sat there, chatting with Abby, admiring their work on the tree, and his daughter napping in his arms, he couldn't help but think that this was the perfect end to a holiday festive day.

Tony kissed the baby on her cheek, wondering what little dreams she was having. "Guess we tuckered her out."

Abby smiled. "Decorating the tree is a lot of work. Everything needs to be just right."

"Well," Tony replied, getting up to go put the baby into the playpen. "I think we got the tree just right, Abs."

"Yeah. It looks great."

"Are you upset you aren't going home for Christmas this year? I mean, Gibbs and I, well...we kinda keep it low key," Tony pointed out.

Abby shook her head and finished her egg nog. "Tony! It's Kaitlin's first Christmas! We should all be here! Gibbs even invited his dad to come for Christmas this year. And McGee is staying, he usually goes to visit his mom. Everyone wants to be a part of this!"

Tony looked at the sleeping baby. "She isn't going to remember it all...but I will...and well...it means a lot to me, Abs."_  
><em>

She vaulted off the sofa as his cell phone gave a shrill ring and engulfed him into one of her tight hugs. Tony wiggled himself free from her grasp to answer his phone.

"_Let's go, Kris Kringle," _Gibbs said with a chuckle, "_Got a dead body in the Valley. Dress warmly!" _

* * *

><p>It took over an hour for Tony to feel warmth returning to his digits. Even after he'd held his hands underneath the dryer in the men's room, he still felt the chill from the crime scene that morning. And he had been cornered by Delores regarding his Secret Santa gift.<p>

How she had found out that Tony was her Secret Santa he had a few guesses, but it was Christmas and he was just going to let it slide.

Of course now there was the problem of finding the perfect gift for a woman that well...wasn't particularly very nice. In fact, she had once filed a sexual harassment complaint against McGee because the probie had wished her a Happy Valentine's Day. Maybe he could have Kaitlin with him when he gave her his gift. Some how he didn't think even her sweet face could melt Delores' icy exterior.

When he arrived back from the Ellis' household with Gibbs he was surprised to see Jackson sitting at his desk, admiring the latest photo of the baby. "She's going to be a heart breaker, Tony."

"Yeah," he quipped, "that's what I'm afraid of."

"Well, you got some years yet before those boys come 'round," Jackson said, grinning. He held a tin out to the SFA. "Candy?"

Tony smiled and went to help himself. Abby had watched the baby while the team was out at the crime scene but on his way to the Elis' house, Tony had rushed to get Kaitlin to daycare for the day, since her nanny was out of town on holiday. She still wasn't entirely sure about daycare, but they had found that if he stayed and played with her for a thirty minutes, the separation got a bit easier. Not much, she still cried when he left, but the staff was able to calm her faster. In the rush, he hadn't gotten the opportunity to grab something to eat. Candy wasn't the best lunch, but it would give a needed boost.

Jackson grinned at him and then pulled the tin back. "Leave some for that baby of yours."

"S-sorry," Tony mumbled with a mouthful. "Just haven't eaten in a while."

"Leroy working you that hard?"

_Well, more like the delicate balance of being a father and a federal agent not being perfectly balanced today, _Tony thought as Gibbs joined them. The team leader noticed the tin and made some comment about a neighbor of Jackson's that made them, who had apparently been chasing after the elder Gibbs since his wife died.

Jackson looked slightly defensive. "She puts together a hell of a care package when people are hurting."

Tony could see Gibbs' interests and concerns peak, and he watched as Gibbs took his father by the arm and said he was going to bring his dad back to the house. As the pair left, Tony glanced at his watch and decided that if they weren't kept her too late he was going to bring Kaitlin by to see Jackson. Something told him the older man needed, as Abby liked to say, "Katie time"


	43. Soul

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Faith"

**A/N: **I wanted to let you know that I have not forgotten about this story and I apologize for the long wait for an update. Hope you enjoy it and I promise to try and be better about updating this story in the future.

**kbor- **_absolutely everyone should get Katie time! :)_

* * *

><p>It quickly became apparent that "Katie time" wasn't going to be enough for Jackson. Which was cause for concern. Tony could see that Gibbs was worried as well. His dad had showed up earlier than the team leader was expecting and he was only half smiling at the baby.<p>

Kaitlin, to her credit, was doing her best to get Jackson to smile. She even _showed _him her attempts at standing on her own. Tony groaned and scooped her up off the floor while she protested. "Hey," he said to her, "I'm just not ready for you to take off on two feet yet, okay? I was just getting use to you on all fours." He plopped her down among her toys, hoping to entice her to play.

"Enjoy it while it lasts," Jackson quipped, "before you know it they're eighteen and leaving home for good."

Tony looked down at his daughter, playing on the living room floor with her toys. It was hard to imagine her now, eighteen and grown up, going off to college. And his heart shattered just a little bit. _Someday _his baby girl wasn't going to need him anymore.

Kaitlin crawled over, pulling her teddy bear that Jimmy had given to her behind her. She plopped down in front of Tony and held the bear out. "Ba!"

He grinned at her and got down onto the floor, on his stomach and started talking to her in a funny voice moving the bear. She giggled and babbled as if she was holding a conversation with her bear. Tony couldn't help but smile at the joy on her face. He wanted to memorize these moments because some day she wouldn't always look at him with such joy. She'd roll her eyes, she'd make snarky comments—she'd glare.

"Got the steaks here," Gibbs said, coming into the room. He put the plate down onto the coffee table. He grinned down at Tony on the floor. "Unless you'd rather eat there?"

"She asked me…" Tony replied, innocently, sitting up. He picked the baby up off the floor and went to sit on the couch. He situated her on his lap and reached for the jar of baby food on the coffee table. Kaitlin was more interested in what her father was eating than her baby food and proceeded to push the spoon away whenever she got the chance, until Jackson offered her a tiny piece of steak.

He smiled at the baby. "It is Christmas after all."

Kaitlin grinned at him and took her steak offering. Tony watched the delighted look that passed over Jackson's face. Perhaps "Katie time" had done the older man some good after all.

* * *

><p>Of course the pipes at the daycare had to freeze and burst on the <em>one <em>day this week that Tony didn't have back-up for daycare. Forty-five minutes late, Tony rushed into the bullpen, weighed down with his gear, a diaper bag and Kaitlin. "I'm sorry, boss!" he breathed when Gibbs looked at him with a slight glare. "The daycare called just as I was leaving…pipes burst…it's flooded…and the nanny she's out of town and Vicki…my neighbor's kid….sweet girl…that's besides the point…is on holiday with her best friend. I…I didn't know what to do with her, boss."

Gibbs looked around at the minimum staffing that day. It was Christmas Eve after all. And if his dad wasn't worrying him so much at the moment…he'd call Jackson to take the baby. But something was bothering the old man…it was why he'd shown up early. "Alright…you can have desk duty all day."

"Thanks…thanks, boss," Tony sighed in relief. He put his gear down and sat the baby on top of his desk, helping her out of her coat and hat. He found a blanket in her bag and spread it out on the floor next to his desk. He would normally ask Abby to watch her but they were in the middle of a hot case and she was busy. Tony didn't want to be a bother or a burden. So…the baby would just have to hang out with him for the day. Kaitlin wasn't a fan of this kink in her routine…in fact she was very upset when Tony let her go and put her on the blanket with her toys. "She'll get over it," he mumbled at McGee's wide-eyed expression.

"Work through it, McGee," Gibbs instructed him, watching as Kaitlin tugged on Tony's pant leg, trying to desperately get his attention. "Did Abby get anything else on the murder weapon?"

McGee snapped back to life. "Ducky pulled some fibers from the head wound. She was running them last night. Doesn't look like it was a baseball or softball bat like we original believed."

Tony gently shooed Kaitlin off of his pant leg and handed her a toy. "Fibers? Could be a lacrosse stick, boss. At the right angle the metal part of the stick could do damage…fibers probably came off in the blow."

"Anyone in the Ellis household play lacrosse?" Gibbs said, snapping his fingers at Erin.

"Um…I can look into it," the young woman replied, looking sadly at the baby… "Tony…she's so sad…pick her up."

"She'll stop…I promise."

Gibbs frowned. Normally…he would agree with Tony's decision to just let this run its course…but everyone was beginning to stare and get annoyed. " DiNozzo…pick her up."

Tony sheepishly looked at the team leader before leaning down and scooping the baby off the floor. Kaitlin took a few more sniffling cries and then settled in his lap. "This is a cruel, cruel game you're playing, peanut."

Kaitlin smiled through her tears and red nose at him. _Man, does she know how to play me…_Tony thought as he got back to work. It only took him a few minutes to find the information that Erin was struggling with and he grinned looking down at the baby. "Boss…Patrick Ellis plays lacrosse."

"His own brother killed him? Two days before Christmas?" Erin asked, exasperated.

"Why not? Cain and Abel," Tony quipped with a shrug. "Want me to go with you to pick him up boss?"

Gibbs smirked slightly and titled his head towards the baby.

Tony frowned. "Oh. Right."

"Don't worry. Think McGee can handle this, DiNozzo."

"Yeah…'

Gibbs was slipping into his coat when his phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs." Tony, McGee, and Erin watched as his expression pales and he shouted into the phone. "He did what? Is he…yeah…yeah I'll be right there." He shoved his phone into his pocket, grumbled an order to McGee and was gone.

McGee looked at Tony with a serious expression. "What's going on with Gibbs' dad? I mean…I knew he was coming for Christmas but he shows up early and well…he seems a bit…off."

Tony shrugged. "I don't know. He was okay last night…not his chipper, joyful, got a story for everything self…but…maybe it was just an act because Katie and I were there."

"Well…here's hoping Gibbs can figure it out," McGee said, gathering up his gear. "See ya later."

"Drive safely, Probies!" Tony called after the two agents getting into the elevator, cheerfully. When they were gone, Tony looked down at the baby and smiled at her. "Guess it's just you and me now."

* * *

><p>When Gibbs returned…in a huff…from checking on his dad—Tony left the baby in Palmer's care and drove out to see Jackson. The SFA knew that Gibbs wasn't the best person to draw out problems. He could be rather abrasive at times and especially if they were in the middle of a case. Judging by the mood the lead agent had returned in, Tony realized that Gibbs had made little to no progress with his dad.<p>

Armed with coffee and pastries, Tony parked the car outside Gibbs house and carefully climbed up the icy front steps. He knocked on the door before opening it and called out, "Jackson? I brought some coffee and doughnuts!"

"Not really a lunch fit for a king," Jackson responded from the dinning room, "But…I'll take it."

"Well…figured you needed something sweet," Tony replied, grinning. He placed the coffees down with the bag of pastries. "Rough day?"

Jackson scoffed and reached for his coffee. He found a pastry to his likening and began to nibble on it. "Just wanted to do something nice for Leroy, for Christmas. And I nearly burnt the house down... I know that the holidays never had the same meaning to him after the girls died…"

Tony studied the elder man for a moment. He knew that feeling. Christmas lost its magic for him when he was eight. "Gibbs might not show it…but he's happy to have you here for the holiday, Jackson. He…well…he's worried about you."

"I just need to sort it all out on my own."

"Sort what out?"

Jackson eyed him, cautiously. "How did you live with it, son? After you killed that man in your home?"

Tony was surprised. He wasn't expecting a philosophical discussion on how he lived with himself after making a justified killing. "That man was threatening my life…my daughter… I guess… I look at Kaitlin and… I realize there wasn't any other choice. People… make their own choices… the man that tried to kill me…myself for pulling the trigger… do I second guess myself after the fact? All the time. But that's the part of me that…makes me realize I'm still human. If I didn't question those things… it would make me a cold, soulless person…nothing more."

"Soulless, Tony, you are not."

"Oh?"

"Kaitlin. You changed your entire lifestyle so that baby could have a home. And one look at her, how she smiles at you—anyone can see how much she loves her daddy. I always say that kids are the best judges of character.

Tony paused to think about what Jackson had just said to him. "Jackson… if that's the case… you must be a pretty decent guy—because she looks that way at you too. So… whatever it is that's bothering you…whatever wrong you think you've committed… I think you're being too hard on yourself." He glanced at his watch and stood. "Gotta get back to work before Gibbs starts looking for me… or Palmer… he's a little nervous being left alone with Katie sometimes."

Jackson reached out and pat him on the top of his hand. "Tony. Thanks."

"Hey, what is family for?" Tony asked, before smiling and heading back out to his car, glad that he could be of some service.


	44. Christmas Eve

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Faith", lots of fluff ahead in this one folks!

**A/N: **Told you I wouldn't keep you waiting that long for the next update :) Enjoy! And please let me know what you think!

**NCIS Fan- **_yes, Kaitlin does know how to manipulate haha_

**Cathy Brown-** _Yes, I know how the original went... I'm confused why you felt you had to point that out to me._

**_Guest-_**_ Thank you for your kind words, even if you haven't enjoyed the entire story. Sorry that you're skipping out just because I don't write Tiva romance (Don't mind them as friends), but to each their own :) If you do a search on this site I'm sure you can find Tony as a father with Tiva to enjoy._

* * *

><p>George Ellis stared at his coffee cup in the conference room. It was late in the day. By the time McGee and Erin had arrived at the Ellis' household and arrested Patrick it had been a little after lunch. Now…it was close to five o'clock and the former Colonel was waiting for his son's body to be released. "Do you have children, Agent DiNozzo?"<p>

Tony looked at the worn face of a father that was going through a terrible ordeal at the moment. "Yeah…a daughter. She's ten months old," he replied with a soft smile.

Ellis returned it. "Do you have a photograph?"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Inside he had tucked a photo of Kaitlin, something that he took out often to gaze at when the job was getting to him. It was starting to show signs of wear…but the baby's bright little smile was clear. Tony slid the photo across the table and showed it to Ellis.

"Beautiful baby," Ellis murmured. "They're so innocent and full of life at that age, Agent DiNozzo. And then the world corrupts them. Twists them until you do not recognize them anymore. I wish had been there more for both my boys…then maybe this terrible tragedy wouldn't have happened."

"Thomas and Patrick were old enough to make their own choices, Reverend," Tony pointed out. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what either one of them did. Sometimes…the things that we do…just aren't enough."

Ellis gave the photograph of Kaitlin back to Tony. "I'm sorry that I'm keeping you from your family on your baby's first Christmas."

Tony placed the photograph lovingly back into his wallet and then returned his wallet to his pocket. "Actually," he said with a glance at his watch, "She's around here somewhere with one of my co-workers. Her daycare was closed due to pipes bursting, nanny is out of town—hard to find childcare around this time. Think she was a hit at the office Christmas party, or so I've been told. Which doesn't surprise me. She inherited most of her personality from me."

"What about her mother?"

"Not in the picture."

"Being a single parent…with children of any age…is difficult. God bless you, sir, for doing it."

McGee popped his head in at that moment. "Reverend. I just got word that your son's body is ready to be released."

Ellis stood and held his hand out to Tony. They shook. "Tell Agent Gibbs I said thank you. It's fine work you do here, Agent DiNozzo. And now, perhaps my family can… find some peace."

Tony watched as the older man's hand fell from his grasp and he followed McGee out into the hall. With a sigh, Tony stood, shoved his hands into his pockets and made his way to the break room. It had been an incredibly long day. He needed a candy bar from the snack machine just to get by because Abby had planned out exactly what they were going to do that night…starting with watching _It's a Wonderful Life _in his living room. He really just wanted to go home and sleep. He was going to need all his energy just to get through tomorrow.

Grabbing his candy bar, he gobbled it down in no time. Erin found him in the staff lounge sitting there…thinking. "Hey," she said, "Did you give Delores your gift yet?"

"No," he said with a wince, "too nervous that she won't like it."

"Oh! Come on! She's going to love it! You put a lot of thought into it," she replied, laughing slightly.

Tony got up and threw his wrapper away, and then sheepishly turned to Erin. "Will you…will you come with me?"

Erin blinked, confused for a moment. Tony had always been strong and confident to her but at this very moment…he seemed so insecure. "Sure," she said, recognizing his need for moral support. "Let's go!" she said, brightly, cheerfully and before Tony could protest she had grabbed him by the hand and was dragging him down to HR to give Delores her gift.

* * *

><p>"Now, Santa, lives here," Jimmy Palmer stated, pointing to the North Pole on the globe. "But don't you worry, Kaitlin. Because Santa has magic! And magic can do some pretty amazing things and… well… he's going to get presents to you."<p>

Kaitlin smiled and kicked her legs. She had been pleasant for much of the afternoon that she had spent with Jimmy. Which actually came as a bit of shock to Tony when he came to check on her. Actually… it had been a bit of a shock to Jimmy as well because even though the baby liked him… he was not her first choice for caregiver after her father. Right now though she seemed happy to listen to him tell her random facts about Santa.

Jimmy put the globe down onto the table. "Did you know that some cultures put shoes out for Santa to fill instead of stockings?" He chuckled when he saw the puzzled look on the infant's face. "Of course you didn't know that! You're only ten months old!"

"Mister Palmer as much as our young guest would love to hear stories about Santa—Reverend Ellis is coming to claim his son's body," Ducky said, eyeing Kaitlin. "I doubt that your father would want you to actually _see _a dead body. Perhaps… a visit to Abigail is in store?"

"Sorry Doctor Mallard. I'll take her upstairs to see Abby," Jimmy said going to pluck Kaitlin off the autopsy table but Ducky stopped him. "Doctor Mallard?"

Ducky took the baby himself and kissed her temple. "You have a body to prepare, Mister Palmer. I shall bring our little one up to the lab. Besides, I have plenty of stories about Santa that I think she would love to hear." He smiled and headed towards the elevator. As he left and Jimmy got ready to work on Thomas Ellis' body, the young man could hear the elder man saying, "Now in Scotland, my little lass… Santa might be offered a wee bit of whiskey to get him through the long night… but I think he much prefers a good mince pie or some cookies and milk."

* * *

><p>Gibbs wasn't surprised when he got home to find that his dad had packed up all the toys and was waiting to take them to the hospital. Tony had disappeared for a while around lunchtime and the team leader had a hunch that he'd gone to speak with Jackson. "Feeling better, dad?"<p>

Jackson smiled and pointed towards the toys. "These things aren't going to deliver themselves, son. And yes… I feel much better. Your boy… he has a way with people, Leroy."

"Yeah… one of the reasons I keep him around."

"Oh? What are the others?"

"For one… the main one… he's a great agent," Gibbs replied, chuckling, "he used to tell his partner to work smarter not harder. Something he lives by and it works."

Jackson finished his beer. "You've surrounded yourself with good people, Leroy. I feel good knowing that when I go home you're not alone out here."

Gibbs let his smile fade. "We weren't always so good to each other…"

"What changed?"

"Kaitlin."

Jackson didn't know his son's team all that well, just from meeting them last year and then his interactions with them over the holiday… but… he had seen the change in Tony when Gibbs had brought the younger man and his daughter to Stillwater to keep them safe. Tony had been a man that was used to being on his own… but now… that baby depended on him… and his confidence was drastically higher. "Babies change a lot of things. Good changes I hope, Leroy?"

Gibbs smiled and stood, reaching for the toys. "Oh yeah… good things." _She made us a family. _"Come on, Dad, we have toys to deliver and a party to get too."

"Right behind you son," Jackson said, grinning. It was time to go give some sick kids some cheer and then spend the night with family.

* * *

><p>It was close to midnight by the time Tony laid Kaitlin down into her crib for the night. Normally she would be in bed by seven, but since it was Christmas Eve, staying up late didn't seem like such a problem. He was sure tomorrow afternoon around one he was going to be regretting this, but he was too filled with spiked egg nog, good food, and warm memories that he really didn't care much. He'd always enjoyed the time he got to spend with his team outside of the office, especially with Abby.<p>

And Abby had outdone herself with all the Christmas preparations. They had enjoyed egg nog and watched _It's A Wonderful Life. _ Jackson treated them all to a reading of _Twas the Night Before Christmas _and Ducky had made some of his famous Christmas pudding. Kaitlin had lapped up all the attention she could get from the adults, even eagerly ripping open wrapping paper on a package from Abby.

It was a brand new pair of pajamas. Which Abby said her parents got her every year on Christmas Eve and since she didn't have children of her own, she wanted to start this tradition with Kaitlin. For the rest of the evening the baby had crawled around in her new pajamas, proudly showing them off.

Kaitlin fussed slightly upon being released from her father's arms. She'd been held by so many people that day, first at the office Christmas party and then at home, that it probably felt strange to not to be snuggled up to someone. Tony reached into the crib, stroked his finger along her smooth cheek and sang a few bars of _White Christmas. _She soon settled back to sleep.

Tony flipped the baby monitor on, the federal agent badge nightlight that Abby had found and given to him when the baby was born and left the nursery. He peeked into the guest room to find Abby snuggled up in the bed sound asleep. She had insisted on sleeping over. Tony hadn't argued. He was just as excited to spend Christmas with Kaitlin as she was. And it so far was turning out to be a lot of fun sharing it with other people. With a happy sigh Tony made his way into the master bedroom. Outside he could see the snow falling, the white lights on his neighbor's house twinkling. It really was like a scene out of Christmas movie. He slipped into a pair of sweatpants and his favorite Ohio State sweatshirt, turned the covers down and crawled in.

Sleep was not hard to come by, partially thanks to the egg nog, and Tony fell into a blissful sleep. Tomorrow was a big day and he was going to need all the sleep he could get.


	45. Merry Christmas, Kaitlin!

**Warnings:** None for this chapter. Just one for a cute baby.

**A/N:** Here is the conclusion to Katie's first Christmas. Lots of anon response to get too so I'll leave this short and sweet... enjoy!

**Cathy Brown-** _wasn't offended, so no worries... was just confused lol glad you are enjoying the story :)_

**Guest-** _no worries about this becoming a Tiva romance... because it won't, at most their relationship will just be friendship when she does pop up, and yes I don't see her having a very big role in this story from here on out._

**Ginger-** _thank you :) _

**wytygr-** _I agree... it seems that EVERY story with Tony as a father turn into Tiva... even when authors make no indication that it is going to be that until you're in like the middle of the fic and they just decide to make it Tiva... that irks me because that isn't very fair to readers. I don't loathe Ziva... but certain parts of her character rubbed me the wrong way and I cannot see Tony wanting to settle down with a trained killer to help him raise his child, IMO. And I love kids at Christmas... sometimes it is the best part of the holiday :)_

**Guest-** _thank you :)_

**barbaratakuyaho-** _so true about all that you said... I think Tony and Ziva are too much alike to make things work. It would have been disaster! _

* * *

><p>He was woken not by Kaitlin early the next morning but by Abby shaking him awake. Groggy, Tony opened his eyes and saw her sitting on top of him, clad in a flannel, red plaid nightgown. "Abs," he said glancing at the clock, "it's five in the morning."<p>

"Not just any morning, Tony! Christmas morning!"

"Kaitlin isn't even up yet."

"Good! That gives us time to get breakfast ready!"

Tony groaned and rolled over onto his stomach. He buried his face into his pillow hoping she'd go away. Although, he knew that wasn't going to happen. The warm blankets were torn from his body and she was soon dragging him out of bed, literally. He finally surrendered and retrieved his monitor from the nightstand. Slowly he made his way down the stairs and wasn't surprised to find Gibbs and Jackson seated at the kitchen table, coffee mugs in hand. Gibbs stretched out and held a mug to Tony in offering. He gathered it up, made it to his liken, and smiled, sleepily. "Thanks boss."

Abby was sucking down a Caf-Pow while mixing pancake batter. There was Christmas music playing in the background. _Is this how normal families celebrate the holiday? _Tony wondered as he sipped his coffee and sat at the table. Soon the four were sitting down to a homemade breakfast of pancakes and sausage and chatting away about nothing in particular. They had just finished up when the first stirrings of a baby waking up could be heard over the monitor.

"I'll get her!" Abby eagerly offered and she left the boys to clean up the kitchen.

Tony was placing the dishes in the dishwasher while Gibbs put another pot of coffee on. Softly the younger man said, "Thanks boss, I'm glad that you, Jackson, and Abby are here. I mean I know Abby has a family that she'd probably rather be spending Christmas with and ya know, you must have your own traditions on the holiday that I'm keeping you from."

"Abby's been talking about Kaitlin's first Christmas since the day she found out about her," Gibbs said with a chuckle. "There's no other place we'd rather be."

"Besides… having a child around at Christmas makes it much more fun," Jackson piped up with a smile. "I'm with Leroy… no other place I'd rather be."

"You mean that?" Tony asked.

"Do I really have to head slap you on Christmas, DiNozzo?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No boss."

Gibbs smiled. "Good. Now, yes I mean it. You're family, Tony."

Abby appeared in the kitchen then with a very fussy Kaitlin. "She's…. um… not to happy it was _me _that got her out of bed."

Tony smiled at his little girl and took her from Abby's arms. "Aw… come here my little, fussy, peanut. Look Auntie Abby made pancakes for breakfast. I bet you are going to love pancakes! And then… when you are all finished your breakfast… I have a surprise for you! Presents! So many presents!" He walked over and put the baby into her high chair, giving her a little kiss on the top of her head. "Santa must have heard what a good little girl you are!"

Kaitlin began to fuss again even through a smile. Tony cut up a pancake for her and set the plate in front of her. She sized the strange new food up and then took one of the pieces into her pudgy fingers and plopped it into her mouth. In no time she had gobbled up the entire pancake and was looking for more. Another pancake later and Tony was cleaning off her sticky, syrupy fingers.

Abby was bouncing on her heels, wanting to open gifts. She was more excited than the actual child in the room. Tony cocked a grin and lifted Kaitlin out of the high chair. "I think Auntie Abby wants to open presents," he told the now happy baby with a soft kiss to her cheek.

"Yes! Please can we open presents now?" Abby begged, snatching the baby out of her high chair. "There will be plenty of time to eat later!"

"Speaking of dinner," Jackson said, getting up. "I better get that bird roasting in the oven!"

"C'mon, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, grabbing him by the arm, "Presents aren't going to open themselves."

"Right boss," he said, laughing as the former marine pulled him into the living room.

Kaitlin was crawling around and over boxes, quite confused by all the fuss. She would look up and smile every once and a while, but Tony could tell she was a bit lost. He chuckled and sat down on the floor with her, pulling her into his lap. He slid a present to her and showed her how to tear the paper back. Kaitlin giggled as she ripped and pulled the paper away. She, however, was not interested in the baby keyboard underneath the paper, she was more interested in playing with the paper—which came as no surprise to Tony really.

Over an hour later they had opened all the gifts under the tree that were for anyone present in the room, the adults more excited about the gifts than the baby, but she smiled at their antics. Tony took her upstairs to change her and get her dressed in a pretty red sweater dress and a white bow in her hair. He set her down on his floor, closed his bedroom door and pulled on a clean pair of boxers, jeans, and a deep burgundy sweater. When he was done he turned to find the baby _standing _in the middle of the room all on her own.

Kaitlin actually look pretty proud of herself. Grinning she pointed a finger at him. "Da!"

Tony scooped her up into his arms and kissed her on her cheek. "Yes… I see you standing all by yourself. I'm impressed… it only took you a few weeks to master this! So… when should I expect you to be walking… that way I can prepare myself a head of time?"

She babbled some response and he laughed, kissing her cheek one more time before going downstairs. He could smell Jackson's turkey dinner cooking and hear laughter coming from the living room.

Ducky had arrived with some more of his bread pudding and of course more tales of Christmas in Scotland. Kaitlin decided while he was in the middle of such a tale that she was interested in her keyboard and started to play the keys, laughing at each note that came out and then she would look up with a little grin on her face—that was pure DiNozzo.

Gibbs smiled and shook his head. "Daddy is going to have his hands full when you start walking… troublemaker."

"Ibs…" she said, crawling over towards his chair, pausing briefly before she pulled herself up onto both legs and wobbled a bit.

"Katie! You're standing!" Abby exclaimed. "I knew you could do it!"

Tony could see the same proud smile adorn his daughter's face. And he chuckled. She knew how to captivate an audience that was for sure. But the timer on the oven sounded startling her and she plopped back down onto her bottom, her lower lip pushing out in a pout.

Jackson got up from his chair. "Time to check on our dinner! If all is going well… should only be another couple of hours!"

"Need any help?" Tony offered.

"No, son, you just sit here and enjoy that little one," Jackson said with a smile in Kaitlin's direction.

Kaitlin crawled into her father's lap and smiled at him, making it very easy for Tony to enjoy his time with her.

* * *

><p>"Look at all these new bedtime stories you got," Tony said to Kaitlin hours later. "I think Santa and the team spoiled you a bit."<p>

Kaitlin snuggled her teddy bear and smiled sleepily. Tony kissed her cheek and picked out one of her new books, and began to read to her. It had been a wonderful first Christmas for his daughter. Jackson had cooked them all a wonderful dinner and everyone on the team had some point had stopped by to celebrate, each bringing the little munchkin in his arms a gift.

Tony had grown up around large parties and extravagant gift giving but… this seemed different. This was… this was special. Those gifts had been given to his baby because she was loved and loved by so many people. He finished the story up and put the book aside, rocking her. "Can I make a confession?" he asked her, softly, "I invited your mum… I just… if she could just _see _you peanut… I know she'd fall in love. Maybe that's why she didn't come… maybe she's scared of what loving you means. It's not so bad… Katie… and I'm not giving up on getting your mummy into your life. Auntie Abby is great… and so isn't Mrs. Bradley… but they aren't _Mommy._"

She blinked her large, green eyes and cooed. Tony rubbed her cheek with his thumb. "You deserve a mommy, baby. And I wanted to give that to you for Christmas. Although… you would have been more interested in the wrapping paper…" He looked down to see that she had drifted off to sleep. He sighed and kissed her forehead, slowly getting up from the rocking chair. Gently he laid her down in her crib and smoothed her hair back. Even if he hadn't been able to get his daughter what he really wanted for her… it still had been a great day, filled with tons of happy memories. He leaned down and kissed her forehead once more, "Merry Christmas, Kaitlin."


	46. Flesh and Blood

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Flesh and Blood".

**A/N: **Sorry that this has been a long time coming! But with Senior on the scene now... well... I wanted to make it as close to perfect as I could. Now that the school year has started up I don't know how frequent updates will be, but I promise I haven't quit on this story yet :).

**patncisfan- **_as much as I love Christmas... not sure I'm ready yet... that means it will be cold and snowing haha_

**NCIS fan-**_ Kaitlin is about ready to walk... look out world haha (and Daddy). _

**barbarataku**_- who doesn't love Daddy Tony and babies at Christmas? :)  
><em>

**Ginger- **_I love little kids around the holidays! They make it extra special and so much fun, almost like being a kid myself when they are around for Christmas!_

**Guest-**_ Thank you so much! I love all the characters but Tony is definitely my favorite. And I wanted to write a Tony as a daddy story that didn't involve hooking Tony and Ziva up, because I think there are just too many of those out there._

Enjoy everyone! Please let me know what you think in either a review or a PM. :)

* * *

><p>Tony was ill-prepared any time his father showed up. But to show up, here, now—Tony was even less prepared. And of course, his business savy father just so happened to know the assassination target. Even had the gall to call the Prince's father <em>Al. <em> And then there was the matter of the bank account. Yes, the very one that his father had called to check up on months ago. Tony should have known that Senior wasn't going to let it go. He was going to try to get his hands on Elizabeth's money and rob it from his own granddaughter.

Of course, in retrospect, Tony should have known the phone call from the bank that morning about someone trying to take money out of Kaitlin's account should have been a red flag. He was too busy with other things to even notice. But… there his father was now… charming Erin while McGee had gone to get Tony.

Senior stood there grinning, like a little kid on Christmas morning. "Aren't you happy to see me, Junior?"

"Don't know. Depends on why you're here," Tony said, harshly. "Bank called me this morning… you wouldn't happen to know about that would you, Dad?"

"No, of course I don't," Senior lied through his teeth. He had always been good at lying. "I came here to see my granddaughter!"

Tony glanced at the photograph of Kaitlin on his desk. His father had been less than thrilled when Tony had informed him on the phone about being a grandfather. Why the sudden change of heart? This made him pause… did he really want to introduce this man to his daughter? A man that was clearly here for the money and that was it. He glanced at his watch and frowned at the time. "Listen, Dad, I really need to be helping Tim and Erin with this protection detail. Why don't you go back to your hotel and I'll give you a call later, okay?"

Senior frowned at him. "What's the matter with you, son? When I talked to you last you wanted me to come here to meet her."

"Yeah… a little head's up that you were coming would have been nice."

"I wanted to surprise you."

_Consider me surprised, Dad. _Tony sighed, heavily. "You still could have called me. We would have picked you up from the airport."

Senior shook his head. "No need to drag an infant out to the airport… besides I took the train."

"You took the train? Are you… are you feeling okay?"

"Never better. Why?"

Tony looked at him skeptically. It wasn't like his father to take the train. That kind of travel was beneath his father. He opened his mouth to respond but quickly snapped it shut. There was no point to arguing with Senior. The old man just never could see eye to eye with his son. "I don't know how long this protection detail is going to take, Dad. How long are you planning on being in town?"

Senior shrugged his shoulders. "Few days. You think this thing with the Prince is going to last longer than that?"

"Well… someone did try to kill him, Dad," Tony grabbed his keys and shoved them into his pocket. He slipped on his coat and told his father that he would walk him out. He could see a wounded look in Senior's eyes… his father was always good at pulling that look off. "I promise once this is all over… you can… you can come over to meet her."

"Do you think you could meet me for a drink later?" Senior asked, hopefully. "Without the baby of course."

Tony sighed. "Yeah. Yeah… I'll see what I can do."

* * *

><p>What he really wanted to do hours later was go home and get ten minutes with Kaitlin. But instead he found himself standing at the bar at the Adams' House Hotel waiting for his order. He wasn't thrilled with the prospect of being on protection detail for the entire evening… but it was a part of the job. Abby seemed to be excited about having a sleep-over with Kaitlin anyways.<p>

And it meant he could keep his baby from his father for one more day. Tony still wasn't sure how he felt about introducing his daughter to her grandfather. Especially when he'd had McGee looking into his father's bank accounts and found out that his mother's family had frozen him out of her assets years ago. With the economy the way it was Senior had taken a few large hits over the years… it made sense that he would try to get his greedy hands on Kaitlin's money now. Her trust fund would go a long way in paying off grandpa's debts.

Tony took the drinks to where his father was sitting. He'd made sure the bartender had crafted Senior's favorite drink, which his father was quick to point out that he remembered. Of course he remembered. He remembered when he didn't make it right as a child he would earn a smack across the face.

"What are you drinking?" Senior asked.

"Non-alcoholic beer," Tony replied, wishing he could have some a bit heavier.

"The perks of being in law enforcement," the elder man quipped.

Tony clenched his jaw. His father had always been quick to point out the downfalls of working law enforcement. Senior couldn't accept that his son had found something he enjoyed, something that he was good at. "You were never happy that I became a cop," he spat, angrily. "Admit it."

Senior shrugged his shoulders. "I never said anything."

"Exactly. You never said anything."

"What did you want me to say?"

"How about I'm proud of you, son. Or… good for you, Junior, you found something you like… something you're good at… something you're passionate about."

"I am glad you found all those things."

"But?"

Senior sighed. "You have a kid."

Tony clenched his fists in his lap. "Yes. I'm aware that I have a daughter. And I have taken as many precautions as I can to make sure she is safe."

"A will with a guardian named?"

"Yes, Dad. She has a legal guardian if something should happen to me."

"You never did tell me about her mother."

Tony licked his lips. He really didn't want to get into Amanda at this point because it was still a sore spot with him. Thankfully his cell phone beeping with an alert from Erin that it was time to relieve her and McGee saved him. He took a final sip from his beer and stood. "Story for another day. Duty calls."

Senior wasn't ready to let him walk away just yet. "Junior… I still don't know what you want from me."

"I wanted a closer relationship."

"We were close! We took some amazing vacations together!"

"Like the time you left me in the hotel room in Maui and went to the mainland to hook-up with some business partner—who I recall was _very _attractive."

"It was just business."

Tony glared at his father before saying good-night. Spinning on his heel he walked through the crowded bar to get to the elevator. The sooner he got to the Prince's hotel suite, the sooner he could get this night over with and be home in the morning to see Katie.

* * *

><p><em>Gibbs! You have to get to Tony's! Some, drunk old guy broke into the house and I caught him in Katie's room! But don't worry… I punched him and knocked him out. <em>

If the frantic message from Abby wasn't startling enough, the fact that she had sucker punched Tony's father was. Gibbs drove to Tony's knowing full well that it was Senior that had tried to sneak a peek at his granddaughter. Tony had been reluctant all day to let his father meet the baby. And even though Gibbs himself had only been briefly introduced as Tony was ushering his father out of NCIS—Gibbs wasn't shocked that Senior had pulled this stunt.

He parked his truck in Tony's driveway and went to the front door, knocking softly. Abby answered with Kaitlin on her hip. "I put him in the den… he… is that Tony's father? Because Gibbs… they could be clones!"

"Yeah… it's his dad. Showed up earlier today at NCIS. Tony wouldn't let him meet Kaitlin just yet," Gibbs said entering the house. He found Senior passed out in Tony's easy chair. "I'll bring him back to NCIS and let him sober up. You girls okay?"

"Us? We're fine!" Abby said, sternly. "He woke Katie up with his drunken ramblings and I heard him over the monitor. So I went up there right away and told him to leave Tony's baby alone! And then I punched him!"

Gibbs chuckled as he maneuvered Senior to his feet and supported the older man against his shoulders. "Why did you punch him if you thought he was Tony's dad?"

Abby looked at the baby for a moment. Kaitlin smiled at her. "He kept telling Katie that she was going to make him a lot of money. I wasn't sure what that meant but I didn't want to find out. You know there's a black market for babies! He could have snatched her and disappeared and sold her and… it would have just been awful!" She hugged the baby to her protectively. "No one hurts Katie, Gibbs. No one!"

"Okay, Abs," Gibbs said, gingerly making his way back towards his truck. "I'll take care of Senior. You just go back to enjoying your sleep-over with Kaitlin."

"We're going to watch a movie and paint our toenails. You don't think Tony will mind she's up this late, do you?" Abby asked, biting down on her lower lip. "I mean, she was sleeping and all but it's been a rather exciting evening since she went to bed… I think she needs some fun."

"Doubt Tony will mind."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"In the morning. I don't want him to worry about it while on protection detail."

Abby kissed Kaitlin's temple and sighed. Right, the protection detail of the obnoxious prince that Erin was telling her about. Well… as much as she hated the idea of Tony putting his life on the line for someone that wouldn't care if he died… at least she would get a few hours with Kaitlin. "Thanks for coming by, Gibbs."

Gibbs grunted and proceeded towards his car. He turned at the end of the walkway. "Hey, Abby—Tony has an alarm—set it."

"Yes sir."

He laughed and got Senior into the truck. Then he went around the driver's side and climbed in, started it up, and headed back towards NCIS.

The old man groaned a little as the vehicle began to move. "Gibbs?" he questioned. "How… how did I get here?"

"You broke into your son's house to see your granddaughter and scared her baby-sitter."

"I… I just wanted to see her…" Senior said, slumping against the seat.

"And Tony told you he would allow you to see her when this case wrapped up."

Senior rubbed his throbbing temple. "He isn't going to let me see her. He despises me. This will just be one other thing he can do to shame me. It was bad enough when he went to school on that scholarship to play ball… when his knee got busted up I thought he'd make the _right _decision and join me. When he went to the Police Academy I thought he'd lost his mind."

Gibbs frowned. As much as he wanted to have it out with Senior right now… the man wasn't sober and wouldn't remember a damn thing he said anyways. "Your son is a good agent, Mr. DiNozzo. You should be proud of him. But beyond all that… he is doing a hell of a job raising your granddaughter. Not many men would take on that kind of responsibility when the mother walks away."

"He could be doing so much more for her if he'd leave and get a respectful job."

"It isn't about the money with Tony."

"Not surprising… it never was. That's why his mother's money sat in a trust fund all those years. A trust fund that now sits in his daughter's name," Senior lamented. "I wonder what my crusty father-in-law would have had to say about that, god rest his soul."

_Lord, Tony, _Gibbs thought as he drove along. _I'm sorry you had to grow up surrounded by all this. Shannon and I could have given you a better home than your own flesh and blood. _But… Senior was never going to see that. And Gibbs wasn't going to make a point to drive it home now… he'd wait until the jackass had sobered up and then he'd let the older man know _exactly _how he felt about him.


	47. Better Off

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Flesh and Blood".

**A/N: **Hello, everyone! Happy Saturday! I hope that you enjoy this next installment. Been writing a lot with this story lately as I've needed my Tony as a daddy fix WITHOUT silly plot lines or Tiva. **  
><strong>

**Maccie B- **_yes, Senior is not going to be able to charm his way out of this one!  
><em>

**Ginger-** _you weren't the only one that wanted to reach the computer screen and punch Senior, I'm sure, lol. you'll find out how he got by Abby, and how Tony is going to react in this chapter_**  
><strong>

**NCIS fan- **_hope you like this next chapter then :)_

**S- **_she doesn't have one for Abby that I have used. But I would guess that she would call her "Abs' like her daddy and the men in her life._

**Dls- **_thank you!_

**wytygr-** _no Abby will not be hanging all over Senior and trying to get them to make up_**  
><strong>

**If I missed anyone I apologize, just know that I do read each and everyone of your reviews, and your feedback has been overwhelming, in the good way of course!  
><strong>

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><p>Gibbs pushed another cup of coffee towards Senior. It was the fourth cup that the former marine had given him since returning from Tony's house. Abby was still a wreck that she had been so engrossed in a movie that she had missed Senior getting into the house and upstairs, until she heard him on the baby monitor. The team leader had informed the Alexandria police department of the break-in, but there was nothing else the police were going to be able to charge Senior with. Gibbs was hoping that the old man would give up something so he could call the FBI in and send him away for a long time or at least convince Tony to file for a restraining order to protect Kaitlin from this man.<p>

Senior looked at him underneath blood-shot eyes. "Are you going to tell my son?" he asked, hoarsely, before downing the coffee.

"You smashed his back door in. If I don't tell him, someone else will when he asks about the door," Gibbs pointed out.

"I never meant to scare the baby-sitter," Senior confessed. "I just… I just wanted to see her before I left."

Gibbs frowned and leaned forward on his elbows. "Abby heard you telling the baby she could make you a lot of money—I'm not sure your son is going to buy it that you broke into the house just to see her."

Senior tried tossing him a charming smile but it didn't work on Gibbs. "Drunken ramblings. I would never hurt that baby."

"Why'd you show up in Washington, now?" Gibbs asked. "Four years ago… your son contracted a deadly virus, nearly died. And I thought I'd see you show up then, but you didn't show… not even a phone call or a _get well _card."

"Junior never told me that he was sick."

"Is that because you can't be bothered with him?"

Senior scowled. "My son is my business… not yours, Gibbs."

Gibbs kept his gaze steady. "That's just it… your son, and now your granddaughter are not your business… they're your family. Flesh and blood. And if you want Tony to even think about considering letting you into Kaitlin's life—you'll plead guilty to the breaking and entering charges and serve your time in jail."

"Jail? I was drunk! I didn't know what I was doing!"

"Alexandria D.A might be willing to cut a deal if you tell them _why _you thought the baby could make you a lot of money."

"Oh come on, Gibbs! People say stupid things when they're drunk!"

Gibbs glared at him. "While you were sitting here sobering up, I made a little phone call to friend of mine at the FBI—they said there's been a bit of a market for babies in the New York City area. Rich couples are willing to pay _ a lot _of cash to get their hands on a child."

Senior looked appalled, even if he wasn't completely pulling it off. "You think I was going to _sell _my granddaughter?"

"You couldn't get your hands on the trust fund—so why not?"

"I would never do that to Junior!"

Gibbs snarled, underneath his breath. "Then why were you meeting with a lawyer, downtown—today? That's right… I had my people look into your bank accounts, your movements for the last several months. Were you aware that your lawyer is at the center of that baby broker operation?"

Senior nervously fumbled about with his words, trying to find an answer when the door flew open. Tony was standing there, fists clenched tightly at his sides. His suit coat was missing and his weapon was clearing still sitting in his shoulder holster. For a brief second both Senior and Gibbs wonder if the young man was going to use it.

Tony glared at his father. "All that money from grandpa's business wasn't enough—was it? You just _had _to get your hands on more! So _Dad… _how much was this couple going to pay you for Kaitlin?" His father didn't say a word, sheepishly looked away and Tony went into a rage. He strode into the room and grabbed his father roughly by his collar and shook him, violently. "How much were they going to pay you!"

"Nothing! They paid me nothing! They paid the lawyer!" Senior shouted, trying to get out of his son's grasp. "I was going to get a cut when I delivered the baby."

"Son of a bitch!" Tony hollered, striking his father with a right hook. "She's your flesh and blood!"

"Those people would have been able to give her a better life, Junior!"

Tony's countenance suddenly changed—from furious to broken. He released his hold on his father and stepped back, shaking slightly. "You don't think I can do this. You don't think I can raise my daughter."

Senior rubbed his cheek where Tony had struck him. "Let's be honest here, son. You've never been able to commit to a damn thing. Not school or a job. Certainly not a woman. Why would you be able to commit to raising that baby?"

Gibbs could see his SFA crumbling at those words. He glared at Senior. Didn't this man realize that Tony never wanted his money? He just wanted a father. Plain and simple. It didn't matter anymore why this man had done what he'd done—Gibbs was done watching him hurt the young man standing before him. "Like you committed to your son after your wife died?"

"It was a very different time back then… and Junior was always well provided for."

"Except… you never loved your son."

"I love him, plenty!" Senior shouted at Gibbs.

Tony blinked back some tears, angry, hurtful ones. "Is that why you left me alone all those times? Why I never knew where you were? Why you were willing to take my child from me and _sell _her?"

Senior placated a little, but not much. "I only ever wanted what was best for you, Junior."

"Best for me!" Tony shouted moving in as if to go at his father again. "Ripping my daughter away from me, that was what was going to be best for me!"

Gibbs stopped him this time, throwing an arm out. "DiNozzo! Stand down!"

Tony growled. "Stand down? _He _threatened my baby. Do you remember what happened to the last guy that threatened her? I think my father is in good shape compared to him." He clenched his jaw and jabbed a finger in the air at his father. "You're going to stay away from her! And if I have to get a lawyer involved, I will! I might only be able to send your ass to jail for breaking into my house—but I sure as hell can get a restraining order!"

Senior plastered on one of his business dealing smiles. "Come on, Junior. We can work this out. I was drunk."

"Being drunk is all you know how to do, isn't it, Dad?" Tony accused. "Things don't go your way… it was because you were drunk. Newsflash, Dad, when it comes to my daughter's safety… being drunk is not going to be an excuse for your actions—ever."

"I'll do the jail time! I'll help you bring that lawyer in!" Senior pleaded. "Junior… don't shut me out! We're family!"

Tony stepped back, shook his head and snapped, "Go to hell."

Silence fell over the room as Tony stalked out, shut the door with a gentle click and was gone. Gibbs stood there, trying not to show the glimmer of pride in his eyes. He took his cell out and flipped it open, ready to give Tobias a call that they had someone to help close out that awful baby brokering ring in New York. He knew Senior would do it, if it meant at any chance of seeing his son again. But Senior surprised him then, by chuckling a little.

"Finally… someone's taught him how to be a man," the elder DiNozzo said looking at Gibbs. "Wasn't me. Never did listen to me."

"Tony is a one of the best young agents I've ever worked with," Gibbs stated. He held the cell phone out. "And it takes a man to raise one. Frankly… it surprises me that Tony turned out as well as he did with a coward and a cheap bastard of a father like you."

"Who are you to criticize how I was as a father! Tony is my son!"

"Biologically only. _You _don't know what it means to be a father. Tony deserves better."

Senior glowered at him. "And you think you're better for him, don't you?"

Gibbs straightened his shoulders. "I'm not perfect, but I'd never do anything to hurt Tony or Kaitlin like you would. Now," he snapped, "You want to lessen your jail time—you're going to tell the FBI _everything _you know about this baby broker."

* * *

><p>Erin and Abby nearly choked him with a tight hug when he stepped into the lab. "Tony! Oh my God! Are you okay?" Erin sputtered, pulling back to look at him. "I mean… your father… the baby… it's scary."<p>

Tony shrugged out of their collective embrace. He was happy for their concern, but he wasn't in the mood for them to suffocate him. Although, it was nice to have these two women in his life fussing and fawning over him like little sisters. "I'm… I'm fine. Did Kaitlin go to daycare alright?"

"She was a bit fussy. They called me about thirty minutes ago to say she had settled down and was napping," Abby replied. She rubbed his arm gently. "But… she's okay, Tony, your dad didn't get his hands on her—I made sure of that."

"Yeah… McGee was telling me," Tony said with a smile. "Thanks, Abs."

Abby smiled, proudly. "No one hurts our Katie bear."

Tony chuckled, softly. "Yeah. I think… I think I'm going to go pick up our Katie bear from daycare early and… take her to the aquarium. Where are we on the case?"

Erin rolled her eyes. "The Prince is up in the air now taking his exams, which means McGee and I are off the hook for a while. It's no wonder someone wanted to kill him—he's rather obnoxious. His brother says that these things happen all the time… it's nothing new to them. I can't imagine growing up that way." She noticed that Abby was signaling for her to stop rambling. "Oh! Sorry! I mean… we have this all under control so you should go pick Katie up and go to the aquarium!"

Abby grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him out of the lab playfully. 'Go on! You have a very special Daddy and Katie day to get too!"

"But Gibbs…"

"I will handle Gibbs…"

"Abs… he isn't going to be happy!"

"Tony. Have you ever seen him headslap me?"

Tony shook his head and then cracked a small grin. "No. But there's a first time for everything, Abs."

Abby glared at him and pointed towards the elevator. "GO!"

"Ok, ok, I'm going," he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. He got into the elevator and sighed, happy that they had _pushed _him into taking this day to be with his daughter, because after last night… being with Kaitlin was the only thing he wanted to do.


	48. Gone

**Warnings: **Minor spoilers for "Flesh and Blood"

**A/N: **Hello everyone. Ready for more? Your response to the last couple of chapters has been wonderful! I apologize if I did not get to thank you all properly, but I do read all of them and appreciate the feedback. **  
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><p>Kaitlin was absolutely in love with the penguins. She pressed her face as close to the glass as she could get and giggled. Every time one of them slid on their tummies into the water and started to swim, she clapped her hands and gleefully cheered them on.<p>

Tony tried to enjoy her sweet innocence but he was reminded how close he'd come to having her taken from him. He tried to tell himself that his father wouldn't have gotten very far with her—after all Gibbs would have had the entire agency and then some out looking for her—but just the thought that his own flesh and blood plotted all of this just to gain money. There was no way he could forgive his father for this.

He kissed his daughter's cheek and watched as her face lit up as the penguins _entertained _her. She looked at him with a happy expression and pointed towards the tank. "Da… "

"Yes, I see the penguins," Tony told her, giving her a smile.

"Gwens…" Kaitlin repeated. She waved her little fingers at them and said, "Hi gwens!"

Tony chuckled. Since Christmas he had noticed that his baby had been repeating as many sounds as she could to make words. She had even started to call Abby, "A-bee". He hugged his daughter a little tighter before putting her back into the stroller. She was a little unhappy to leave her beloved "gwens" behind but he made up for it by going to the gift shop and buying her a stuffed one.

Kaitlin forgot all about being upset at him and snuggled the big stuffed penguin to her. She smiled at it then and exclaimed, "Hi gwens!"

"Aw… you named him," Tony said, kissing the top of her head.

"Hi Da!" Kaitlin cooed, causing a big, goofy grin to form on her father's face.

Tony suddenly forgot all about his awful morning. Just a few hours with Kaitlin had wiped away the hurt and resentful feelings and he was feeling better. Abby had been right—he did need this day with just Kaitlin. "I think it's time to go downtown and grab some lunch. What you say to some burgers and fries? Or splitting a pizza?"

Kaitlin grinned and stuck a finger into her mouth. "Izza."

He laughed at her, put her coat on, and gave her a kiss. "Girl after my own heart. Pizza it is."

* * *

><p>Gibbs was happy when Prince Omar put both his sons on a private jet out of Washington. It meant that Sayif was no longer NCIS' problem and he could focus on the problem of DiNozzo, Senior. From what he had learned from Fornell the elder DiNozzo had been very helpful if it meant less jail time… but the matter at hand that was bothering Gibbs was keeping Tony's father away from both Tony and Kaitlin.<p>

He was going to jail for breaking into Tony's home but the latest report Gibbs' had gotten from Fornell is that the man had charmed his way out of any charges to do with the fraud he was going to commit by selling the baby. "Maybe we should have let him take the baby so we could have nailed him," Fornell had mused over coffee that morning.

"At least we got the lawyer," Gibbs muttered to the memory. Fornell had dispatched FBI agents in New York immediately to collect the lawyer. It was a small victory in the grand scheme of things. And speaking of coffee… he stepped up to a cart outside the Adams House and ordered. Coffee was going to help him get through the rest of this day. He made a metal note to stop at the butcher and pick up some steaks to invite Tony over for dinner later. The SFA was going to need the distraction.

"Gibbs," a voice called out. He turned to see Fornell crossing the street. "McGee said I could find you here."

Paying for his coffee, Gibbs stepped away from the coffee cart. "What's going on Tobias?"

Fornell sighed and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Agents in New York went to the lawyer's office to arrest him. They found it completely cleaned out. They think the lawyer split when DiNozzo's father didn't show up for the meeting. He ordered his people to clean shop."

Gibbs sipped his coffee. "He must have figured DiNozzo was caught and is heading to greener pastures. Any luck finding some of his _clients_?"

"Little bit more on that front. We managed to pull his financial records. Couldn't tell you how those couples got their babies but I can tell you it was probably illegally."

"Desperate people do desperate things, Tobias."

"Yeah. That's why I'm here. The lawyer didn't leave much behind but what we did recover is that DiNozzo owed the lawyer money from an investment that went south. The baby, Jethro, was payment for that lost investment," Fornell replied. "This lawyer is going to want to get paid. By now I'm sure he's contacted DiNozzo's company and has found out that he's been taken into custody by the FBI and is probably going to jail for breaking and entering—Tony's daughter could be in very real danger."

Gibbs felt his heart beat madly against his ribcage. Why hadn't he looked deeper into this? Instead he had sent Tony off without a protection detail. His senior field agent was out wandering D.C with no knowledge that this lawyer could be after Kaitlin. He downed the rest of the coffee and tossed it in the trash. "Any idea where the lawyer is at this point?"

Fornell shrugged and then held his hands up in defense when Gibbs glared at him. "Listen… I've got as many agents on this as I can spare. I know what that little girl means to you, Jethro. I get it… the granddaughter you thought you'd never have. And as a father myself… I'd hate for her to be swept up into this whole mess."

The former marine snarled. "She already has, Tobias. The moment her grandfather offered her up as payment for his debt instead of shelling out the money. That greedy bastard doesn't give a rat's ass about his son or his granddaughter!"

"Jethro—I sent agents to Tony's house to pick him and the baby up."

"Tony isn't there! He was taking the baby out for the day!"

"If he's out in the public… the lawyer might not make a move."

Gibbs shook his head, furiously. "This man is that desperate for his money—he'll do whatever it takes to get it. Why didn't you just call him?"

Fornell opened his mouth to respond that the agents had tried and they had not been able to reach Tony on his cell phone, but his own phone began to ring. He held a finger up to Gibbs and answered, "Yeah, Fornell."

Gibbs anxiously rocked back and forth on his heels while he watched the expressions that passed over Fornell's face. When it went white he felt his stomach drop. "What's going on?" he asked when the FBI agent hung up. Fornell hesitated. "Tobias, damn it! Tell me what's going on!"

"One of my agents caught up to Tony…"

"Where?"

"Metro station downtown."

Gibbs glared at him, forcing him to give him more information. If Tony or Kaitlin were in trouble then they were going to need him. He was not going to sit around and let the FBI handle this on their own. Kaitlin and Tony were too important to him. "Then let's go… get them to NCIS and a safe place so we can find that damn lawyer before he gets his greedy hands on the baby!"

Fornell swallowed and cleared his throat. "Jethro! You didn't let me finish! Tony was assaulted on the platform. Witnesses say someone jabbed a needle into his neck, incapacitated him and took off with the baby. Kaitlin's gone."

* * *

><p>McGee had only seen Gibbs this angry once before—when he didn't know Ari's name. And it was the first time in a long time that McGee was truly scared of him.<p>

Gibbs looked ready to kill. It had been an hour since Kaitlin had been snatched off the platform from the Metro station. Tony had yet to come around from the sedative he'd been given and Ducky had gone to the hospital to stay with him. Meanwhile, the rest of them—along with the FBI—were frantically searching for the baby. "Tell me you have _something!" _

"Lawyer's name is Carl Segan. He's been a member of the New York bar for over twenty years. Never married. No kids," McGee reported. "FBI managed to catch up to his secretary. She says that she last saw him three days ago… said he was coming to D.C for business."

"Any contact with Senior in the last three days?" Gibbs asked, already knowing the answer to that.

"Yeah… last night… just before Senior broke into Tony's house and tried to take Kaitlin," the junior agent replied.

Gibbs did his best to stay calm but it was hard to do. They had to get Kaitlin back before Segan had her identity changed and she was handed over to some rich couple, who would probably disappear on Segan's suggestion. _Damnit, when did this get so out of control? _ "Any idea where Segan could be taking the baby?"

McGee had several but he went back to Segan's phone records. "He's been in contact with a couple out in the Hamptons. Maybe the couple that are lined up to get Kaitlin in the sale?"

"Don't know. Have the FBI pick them up," Gibbs stated. He watched as McGee went to make the phone call and glanced at his watch. Their Amber Alert had been running for forty-five minutes and they'd been fielding calls to try and track Segan, but he was starting to get antsy. It was forty-five minutes too long that Kaitlin had not been safely with her family.

"We got another sighting!" Erin shouted from her desk, cradling her phone against her ear. "Woman says she saw a man matching the description of our suspect with a baby and a diaper bag, getting on a bus at Union Station."

"How long ago?" Gibbs asked, moving towards her desk and staring her down.

Erin frowned, slightly. "About twenty minutes. Union Station is going to send over their security footage. I'm trying to get in touch with them now to see if I can get a name of our suspect."

McGee clenched his fists at his sides. "Boss… if this is the lawyer… he must be going back to New York to sell her. Maybe Senior can help us."

Gibbs didn't want to go there. The old man would use this as an opportunity to weasel his way out of jail time entirely. And he deserved to go to jail. This entire thing was his fault even if they couldn't nail it to him directly. "He's lied to me enough, McGee. He wasn't getting a cut selling Kaitlin… it was to make up a debt he owed the lawyer. I want to send his ass to jail for a long time… I ask him to help… he can skip out on jail."

"Boss… this is Kaitlin we're talking about."

"I know that, Tim. But I'm not about to throw Senior a life vest."

McGee eyed Erin for a brief moment. As much as they wanted to have Kaitlin back safe and sound before Tony woke up—it was looking like that was not going to be the case and he was glad that it was Ducky that would have to give Tony the news that his daughter was gone. His phone rang and he turned away from the team to answer it. "Special Agent McGee."

"_Hey Tim. Got another tip on the kidnapping. Kaitlin was spotted on a bus heading to the Port Authority in Manhattan. Suspect appears to be taking her to New York." _

"Port Authority in Manhattan… got it," McGee said, jotting the information down. "Thanks." He slammed the phone down and looked at Gibbs.

"Grab your gear, we're going to New York," Gibbs ordered McGee.

McGee was gathering up his gear when Tony stormed into the bullpen, Ducky on his heels. If McGee thought Gibbs was angry… Tony was a ticking time bomb ready to explode.

Tony blocked their path. "I'm going with you."

Gibbs shook his head. "You need to stay here. Away from this case so you don't compromise it."

"I stay here… I'm going to kill my father and then you're going to have to arrest me."

"I apologize, Jethro, he's been on the warpath since he woke up at the hospital," Ducky said. "I tried to get him to take it easy."

Tony's nostrils flared. "Take it easy? My daughter was abducted!"

Gibbs could see that Ducky wanted to argue some more but he gently shook his head to silence the medical examiner. "I let you come to New York with us… you stay on the sidelines. You let McGee and I handle this. Am I making myself clear?"

"Crystal, boss," Tony answered. "I just want to bring my daughter home."


	49. New York

**Warnings:** No spoilers for this chapter.

**A/N: Thank you so much for the love. I wish I could respond to each and every one of you, but the last few weeks have been very, very busy. I do read them and love hearing your feedback :) **Here's the next part! Hope you enjoy it!

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><p>Tony held Gwens in his lap, his fists were clutching the stuffed penguin so tightly they were white. He wasn't sure how this was happening. It had only been a split second that he'd let his guard down—a second—and someone had jabbed a needle in his neck, unleashing some kind of drug into his system.<p>

He'd watched as a tall, lanky man pulled Kaitlin out of her stroller, grabbed her diaper bag and hopped onto a Metro train. Tony had been helpless as his baby girl was taken from him. By the time people realized he was in trouble… that Kaitlin was in trouble… it was too late… the train was gone. Waking up at the hospital had been torture, to find that his daughter had been missing for almost an hour. Ducky… bless him… had tried desperately to calm him.

But nothing was going to calm him. He needed to get his baby back—safely.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs voice coaxed him from his haze. "Breathe."

"Sorry, boss," Tony said in a slow hiss. He felt a hand grasp his shoulder. "I failed her. I didn't protect her."

Gibbs shook him. "Don't go blaming yourself for this. Your father is to blame. _He _set this whole thing up… offering your daughter as payment for a debt."

Tony ran his thumb over the soft fur of the stuffed penguin in his hand. "I knew that my father loved his money… just never thought he loved it that much that he would be willing to offer up his own granddaughter so he wouldn't have to shell out the money." He stared at the stuffed animal, recalling Kaitlin's bright little smile when he had bought it for her. "Boss… what if I don't… what if I don't see her again?"

He gripped the senior field agent's shoulder, tightly. "Tony. You are going to see her again. We're going to get her back. Got it?"

"Yeah…"

"Good."

_"Boss," _McGee's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie, "_Port Authority police have the bus being held at the gate. Just waiting for you."_

Gibbs looked at Tony, giving the SFA a firm yet reassuring look. He reached for the radio and pressed the button to reply. _"_Copy that, McGee. I'll be right there." He let go of the younger man and got to his feet, making sure he had his weapon.

Tony watched him under an intense gaze. "Boss… let me go with you."

"No, Tony. The deal was that you stay on the sidelines."

"And you can get on that bus and arrest Segan and get Katie back. But I _need _to be there. Or I'll go crazy, boss!"

Gibbs looked at him sorrowfully. This was a slippery slope they were traveling here. Vance was giving him a lot of leeway already by allowing NCIS to take lead on this case… but the look in Tony's eyes… how desperate his was… Gibbs couldn't say no. "Fine," he snapped, "But you listen to me. And you listen good. You are not stepping foot on that bus… you are staying at a safe distance. I'll get Kaitlin off that bus and I'll bring her _to _you. Got it? You will not come to her."

Tony nodded, blindly. "Yes. Yes I get it, boss."

He sighed and gestured for Tony to follow him. Quickly they made their way through the crowds of people at the Port Authority. McGee met them near the door to where Segan's bus was parked. Gibbs pointed at Tony and snapped, "Stay right here." He looked at the police officer standing by. "You don't let him out of your sight."

"Ah… got it, sir," the officer said, eyeing Tony cautiously.

"Boss…"

"Gonna be right back, Tony. Promise."

Tony clung to the stuffed penguin. "O-okay, boss."

Gibbs sighed and gestured for McGee to come with him. He pushed the door open and was hit in the face with cold, January air. An angry bus driver was standing outside his bus, Fornell standing with him. "Hey, Tobias. This our bus?"

Fornell nodded. "Indeed it is. Bus driver can't confirm or deny that Segan got on the bus though. Says there is a baby."

"Listen. I've been driving all freaking day," the driver complained. "I'm tired and I can't go sleep until all these damn passengers are off my bus!"

"Alright, hold your horses," Gibbs snapped, stepping onto the bus. "This shouldn't take too long."

He peered down the long aisle, at the annoyed and tired faces of the passengers. "Federal agents," he announced holding up his credentials. "We're looking for someone… this shouldn't take too long and you'll be on your way soon."

McGee tapped him on the shoulder and gestured towards the back of the bus. A man was seated with a baby on his lap, head bowed low, baseball cap covering his eyes. A blanket hid the baby's face but a wisp of golden brown hair stuck out above it. "Boss."

"Yeah. I see," Gibbs whispered. He slithered his way towards the last row and stopped. "Mr. Segan. NCIS. Please stand up." When he refused to stand, Gibbs' raised his voice, "Mr. Segan… I have a warrant for your arrest on abduction charges… stand up!"

"W-what?" the man sputtered, waking up. He glanced up at Gibbs to see the federal agents standing there. "What's going on?"

Gibbs felt his heart leapt into his throat, as his brain registered that the baby wasn't Kaitlin, and as McGee voiced it, "Boss… that's not Segan… that's not Katie."

The man blinked a couple of times. "Am I…am I in trouble?"

"No," Gibbs hissed, shaking his head. "No… sorry… you and your daughter enjoy the rest of your trip."

He spun on his heel and pushed past McGee, and ran off the bus. The tip was wrong. It had led them on a wild goose chase and somewhere out there was Kaitlin… still lost, still not safely with her father. What were they going to do now? This had been the best lead! They even had footage of Segan getting on the bus! "You stop somewhere?" he threw at the bus driver.

The driver nodded. "Yeah. Pit stop in Delaware."

"Did you make sure that all your passengers got back on the bus?"

"Hey man, not my job to baby-sit them. They get twenty minutes. If they aren't back on the bus I fly!"

_Damn it! _Gibbs pulled his cell phone out and dialed. Erin picked up after one ring. "I need every name and address of _anyone _that Segan was in touch with the last six months! And I want check points set up on _every _major highway!" He snapped the phone shut before Erin could utter a word. Through the glass he made eye contact with Tony and the senior field agent's face fell.

McGee stepped into his line of vision. "Boss. Spoke to a woman on the bus. She said that another man and baby got off in Delaware and didn't get back on. She saw them get into a car. She gave me a description and a partial plate. I've already put a BOLO out and updated the Amber Alert." He looked over his shoulder. "What are we going to tell Tony?"

"We're not giving up. "

"Boss… what if Segan gets scared and… and hurts her?"

"Let's not think like that, okay, McGee?"

"Got it, boss."

Gibbs pat the younger man on the shoulder and went back inside. He could see the hopeless look in Tony's green eyes. Both had been at this long enough to know the more time that a child was missing the less likely that child was going to come home… but the former marine had just told McGee not to think like that… Gibbs couldn't think like that if they were going to get Kaitlin back.

Tony hugged the stuffed penguin to his chest. "She's gone, Gibbs," he whispered. "She's never coming home."

"DiNozzo… she's coming home."

"How can you say that! We don't even know where she is!"

"We're going to find her."

The senior field agent shook his head, furiously. "Forgive me, boss, if I don't believe you," he snapped, tears gathering in his eyes. "But… I've lost her. I've lost my baby."

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><p>Snow dusted the sidewalks of New York City making it extremely difficult to jog, but Amy Hannigan was not going to let that stop her. Although her boyfriend's whining about the cold was going to drive her to end the job early.<p>

"Amy. It's freezing out here! Couldn't we have gone to the gym like everyone else!" Kyle moped, managing to keep pace with her despite being so cold.

"I like the fresh air," Amy argued, with a smile. "Good for the lungs!"

Kyle groaned and kept running, even if his muscles were starting to ache. Oh, and his fingers were numb… and his toes were following suit. Amy seemed determine to do their daily three and a half mile job… and they were only on mile one. "It's not going to be so good for the lungs when we're both sick with pneumonia!" He glanced to his left to see that Amy wasn't running with him anymore. He stopped and turned to find her picking through the trash in front of a brownstone. "Amy? What are you doing?"

Amy tore through the bags. "Kyle! Get over here! NOW!"

"Why? What's going on?" he asked, sprinting over. When he got closer he heard the baby crying. _What the hell! _He thought as he began to help Amy tear through the Hefty trash bags. "Who leaves a baby out in the cold!"

"I don't know! But we have to find it! Before it freezes to death!" Amy gasped, finally pulling off a bag to find the crying coming from a black duffel bag. She quickly unzipped it to find the baby girl, sobbing. "Oh! You poor thing!"

Kyle took his sweatshirt off and wrapped the baby in it. "We should get the baby to the ER. And have the police meet us there."

Amy smoothed the baby's hair back and then blinked. "Kyle. I swear this is the baby on that Amber Alert yesterday."

"What? They were looking for her in Delaware!"

"Well she's here _now!"_

Kyle frowned and pulled out his cell phone. "I'm calling the FBI. They're gonna want to hear about this."


	50. Back Where She Belongs

**Warnings:** No spoilers for this chapter.

**A/N: **I am still amazed at the response this story has gotten. Seeing my inbox with all your reviews, favorites and follows makes me smile. Your thoughts and constructive critique is always welcome, so please don't be shy :).

**Guest-** _thank you, glad you are enjoying the story!_

**NCIS Fan-** _Not a red herring... I think I've put Tony through enough... for now anyways haha__  
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><p>"There we go, baby," Carol, a fifteen year veteran nurse at Beth Israel Hospital, said as she finished dressing the sweet baby girl in items that had been donated to the hospital. "All clean and warm now."<p>

"Hey… FBI agents are on their way in," her colleague, Marion, announced coming into the room. "Did you get her to eat yet?"

Carol stroked the baby's hair and frowned. She had been close to inconsolable since arriving, and all the doctors in her face running tests on her had not helped matters. Carol had thought once they were done she would have been easy to comfort, especially after they had bathed her and warmed her up. But she wasn't. She refused a bottle, refused a jar of baby food and was… well cranky. "No. Maybe once they find her family she'll be better."

Marion watched the baby rub her face with a fist and let out a soft cry. "Well… she's had a rough day. At least she's here and not stuffed in a bag somewhere. She was lucky that couple found her when they did."

"Who puts such a sweet baby in the trash like that?" Carol asked, bouncing her slightly. "You obviously have been well loved… before this morning of course."

"It is strange isn't it? Besides being stuffed in a duffel bag she's healthy for her age," Marion replied. "It doesn't fit with what we've seen before."

Carol sighed and hugged the baby. She had seen a lot of children and babies come through the hospital who had been neglected and abused. The little girl in her arms right now had definitely not been abused and Carol believed that somewhere there was someone missing her terribly. Maybe the FBI would shine a bit more light… maybe they would know where this baby had really come from… and get her home.

* * *

><p>Gibbs had found a quiet spot in their hotel… an emergency stairwell. It had been a long night. Information had stopped coming in. Segan had managed to slip through all the check-points… perhaps even getting into New York before the team realized he wasn't on that bus. Now… Gibbs knew that Kaitlin could be <em>anywhere <em>in the city.

He rubbed his hands over his face. Her picture was going to be running on every morning news program… the Amber Alert was still in effect… they just had to hold out hope that they were going to get a break. Tony had been shattered to pieces… blaming himself for this happening. Gibbs had tried to argue with him that it wasn't his fault but it was never easy to convince his senior field agent that something wasn't his fault. It was just in Tony's nature to take the blame.

Footsteps could be heard above him and Gibbs glanced up to see Tobias join him. "What happened to Rule 3?"

"Needed to turn it off for a while. Re-group."

"We'll find her, Jethro."

Gibbs sighed and shook his head. "Segan has already passed her on to her potential parents. Probably advised them to leave the country and since we have no clue _who _those people are… we have no clue where Kaitlin is. I let DiNozzo down."

Tobias frowned and sat down next to Gibbs. "Funny… you should say that—I just got off the phone with the FBI office here in New York. They tried to call you but your phone was off. Jethro… your Amber Alerts and BOLO's and plastering Kaitlin's face all over the news paid off."

"What are you blabbing about?"

"Beth Israel hospital has been treating a baby girl, eleven months old, matching Kaitlin's description for exposure. Someone found Kaitlin."

"You better not be messing with me, Tobias…"

Tobias shook his head and put his hands up. "No way, Jethro. I admit I like screwing with you every now and then but when it comes to this—I'm not lying. Kaitlin's been found and is at Beth Israel in FBI custody… waiting for her father to come pick her up."

Gibbs felt like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Kaitlin had been found… was safe with FBI agents at the hospital. He closed his eyes tightly to stop himself from shedding any tears in front of Tobias. But… he couldn't stop them all and one did manage to escape. Somehow they had managed to avert disaster. Tony wasn't going to suffer the loss of his daughter like Gibbs had. "Segan hurt her?"

Tobias shook his head. "Other than leaving her outside for about forty-five minutes to an hour… no. She's been treated and can be released as soon as Tony arrives. I've been told that she's rather fussy. Nurses can't get her to eat or sleep."

"Don't expect they would, Tobias. She misses her father… knows when he's not around."

"Smart kid."

"Very smart."

"Then," Tobias said, getting to his feet, "We better get him to her. Poor girl has been through enough. Let's not drag it out any longer."

* * *

><p>It might have only taken them twenty or so minutes to get to the hospital but to Tony it felt like a lifetime. The car had barely been in the parking spot when he'd opened the door and sprung out.<p>

Gibbs had spent the twenty minute drive over to the hospital trying to figure out how Kaitlin had even arrived in New York. Of course there had been a two to three hour window where they hadn't updated any of the BOLOs or the Amber Alert. Segan easily could have arranged for a ride out of Delaware… even bought a ticket on another bus or train. Either way… Kaitlin had made it to New York only to be dumped in the trash and forgotten about.

Tony swallowed the angry bile in his throat. Someone had tossed his baby in the trash. Left her to die in the cold. When they caught up to the lawyer Tony was going to have to use all of his restraint and will power not to strangle him.

"Excuse me?" a nurse stopped them at the front desk. "Can I help you gentlemen?"

"My daughter, I'm looking for my daughter," Tony blurted. "Someone found her in a duffel bag and brought her here!"

Her face conveyed the horror no doubt that she was feeling and it was obvious she wasn't sure she could trust Tony and his wild ranting at this point. That's when Gibbs stepped up, holding up his badge, "Special Agents Gibbs and DiNozzo… NCIS. An eleven-month old baby was found this morning… she's Agent DiNozzo's daughter… FBI agents are with her now."

The nurse nodded her head and told them where to go. When they got into the elevator, Tony began to pace. "What if it isn't her boss?" He looked at Gibbs then, a desperation and fear in his eyes. "What if the FBI got it wrong?"

"Stop it, DiNozzo," Gibbs ordered him. "It's her."

"But we don't know that."

"I do. I feel it in my gut, okay?"

Tony numbly nodded his head as the elevator doors opened. If Gibbs' gut was saying it was Kaitlin…then it had to be his baby. Gibbs' gut was never wrong… well… sometimes it was but usually it was reliable. He calmed quickly as the pair made their way down a hall, towards a brightly lit and decorated room where they were told Kaitlin was being taken care of by a hospital social worker.

Kaitlin was sitting in the middle of the playroom, fussing. There was a friendly social worker trying to engage her but the baby was having no part of it. Tony pulled the door to the room open, causing both the baby and the social worker to look up. He stepped inside with Gibbs and immediately the baby smiled. "Da! Ibs!" She pulled herself to her feet and held her arms up to Tony.

Tony scooped her up into a tight hug, pressing his face into her soft hair. He kissed her and didn't hide his tears. "Hi peanut," he whispered to her, pulling back to look at her sweet face. "Did you miss me?" She touched his face with her hands and then little out a little cry. Tony rubbed her back, soothing her.

"She's probably hungry," the social worker said. "We haven't been able to get her to eat." She held out a bottle to Tony. "Perhaps she'll eat for you."

"Katie bear you need to eat," Tony chided her gently as he sat down. He guided the bottle towards her mouth and she reached out, pulled it to her and began to drink. He chuckled. "See… doesn't that feel better." He rested his cheek against her hair. "I thought I lost you, Katie… I thought I lost you forever."

Kaitlin turned her green eyes up to her father and she smiled while she drank, a little bit of the formula dripping out of the corners of her mouth. Tony wiped it with a clothe, feeling his body finally relaxing now that his daughter was safely in his arms.

Gibbs gestured for the social worker to join him and looked at his senior field agent, "I'll be right back, Tony."

"'K boss."

The social worker followed Gibbs back out into the hall, closing the door. "Is something wrong?"

Gibbs ran his tongue over his lips. "Where was the baby found?"

"Ritzy neighborhood over by Fifth Avenue."

"Any indication _who _left her in the trash?"

"None. FBI was going to search the area and run prints found on the duffel bag."

Gibbs sighed and thanked her. She excused herself and left him, standing outside the room looking at Tony and Kaitlin making up for time lost. The team had dodged a major bullet. Loosing Kaitlin would have torn the tight little family they had formed apart. And he was determined to find the ones responsible for nearly doing so.

* * *

><p>"That was Jethro," Ducky announced, sounding relieved. He smiled at Abby and Jimmy. "Kaitlin has been found and she is on her way home with the team now."<p>

"Oh thank God!" Abby cried, wiping at the tears she had already shed. "Is she okay?"

Ducky nodded his head. "Yes. A nice couple found her and called the FBI. She was a little cold and hungry and missed her daddy but otherwise she is healthy. A few days home with Tony and she will be as good as new."

Jimmy sighed happily. "Guess all that pacing and praying paid off. Which reminds me. I need to go call Breena and let her know that the baby was found. She was worried when I told her that Katie was missing." He got up and sprinted to his cell phone, disappearing to a quiet spot to call his new girlfriend.

"I'm going to go make Tony some gumbo or something to eat," Abby said, jumping to her feet. "He's going to be hungry when he gets home!"

"Indeed," Ducky said with a smile.

Abby suddenly hugged him. "I'm glad she's okay."

Ducky sighed and nodded. "As am I, Abigail. As am I."


	51. More Than Enough

**Warnings:** No spoilers for this chapter.

**A/N: **Hi everyone! Happy Sunday afternoon! Just a quick wrap up of this arc before moving on and tackling the next. Promise to have some fluffy chapters in between :). Enjoy and please let me know what you think!

**Jamie-** _Thank you! Hope you enjoy this update!  
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><p>Kaitlin was looking at a board book completely uninterested in the interrogation that was going on in the other room. Her father had insisted in watching Gibbs and Fornell question his father one last time. And Tony… not wanting to let her out of his sight just yet had dragged her into the observation room with him.<p>

Gibbs had only protested mildly. Tony assumed that the team leader didn't want to upset him anymore than he already was. Even though he didn't get along with his father most of his life it had still stung, hurt, that Senior had done this to him. In fact, Tony wasn't sure when he ever felt so betrayed… perhaps the only time competing with it was when Ziva had betrayed him back in May when she let Rivkin know he had a daughter.

Tony hugged Kaitlin tightly as Gibbs dropped a photograph of the duffel bag she'd been stuffed into on the table. "_Do you know what this is, Mr. DiNozzo?" _

"_No," _Senior said over the intercom. "_Should I_?"

_"This was the bag your granddaughter was stuffed into and left in the trash." _

Senior's face went white and his hands shook slightly. "_Carl promised he wouldn't hurt her._"

Fornell shrugged his shoulders. "_Lawyers make false promises all the time." _

Tony stroked his daughter's hair while she blissfully played with her book. At this point they weren't sure if it had been the lawyer that had dumped the baby in the trash, the FBI and the NYPD back in New York were still looking it into. Gibbs and Fornell were hoping to get as much information out of his father as they possibly could before he went to booking. It was looking pretty bleak at this point.

"_I had no contact with Carl since being in custody. I didn't know… I didn't know he had taken the baby."_

_"Your own plans were to abduct Kaitlin. You can't sit there and tell me you didn't know this would happen," _Gibbs snarled. "_Your granddaughter was thrown away like a piece of garbage! Left to die in the cold!" _

Tony shuddered involuntarily. He wasn't an idiot. He knew how close he had come to loosing Kaitlin forever. If that couple hadn't been out jogging then Kaitlin would have eventually died from hypothermia.

Senior was shaking too… but Tony surmised it was because he was about to go down for this. "_I just wanted a better life for her." _

"_Better?" _Gibbs snapped. "_That baby was miserable without her father! The nurses couldn't get her to eat!"_

_"I... I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I thought... I thought I was doing the right thing."_

Tony couldn't take standing there anymore and listening to his father try to justify his actions. Clutching tightly to his baby, Tony stepped out of the observation room and proceeded into the interrogation room. Immediately he could see Gibbs going into papa bear mode, but this was something he had to do. His father needed to see the little girl whose life he had almost destroyed.

"DiNozzo," Fornell warned him. "You shouldn't be here."

"He's right, Tony," Gibbs snapped. "Take Kaitlin home."

"I just want him to look at her when he's sober and tell me she's better off stuffed in a bag than with me," Tony hissed.

Kaitlin turned her head and looked at the men in the room. Her green eyes filled with some anxiety at seeing strangers and she whimpered. Tony rubbed her back and promised her that they would be going home soon. She turned away from her biological grandfather and rested her chin on her father's shoulder.

Tony persisted that his father looked at her. "Dad… I want to know… do you still think she would have been better off without me?"

Senior sighed and shook his head. "No. No…" he whispered.

"Just what I thought…" Tony snapped, he turned to go but then stopped. Looking back at his father, he said, "Listen… I know that your lawyer probably will figure out a way to get you off on a technicality… when he does… there's a restraining order in place. You need to stay away from me and from Kaitlin."

"I… I'm sorry, Anthony," Senior made one last plea. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen!"

Tony shook his head. "Too little too late, Dad." With that he stepped out of the room and slammed the door shut. Leaning back against the door he sighed, kissed Kaitlin's cheek, and told her that it was time for them to go home.

* * *

><p>Gibbs wasn't surprised when the front door opened that night. In fact he had been prepared for Tony to drop by. After the FBI had booked Senior for aiding and abetting an abduction, he had not been surprised that he couldn't find Tony or get in touch with him.<p>

He didn't really bother to go looking for the senior field agent, certain that Tony had taken Kaitlin home, and he also wasn't surprised when he found the leave request form on his desk. After everything that Tony had been through in the last forty-eight hours, he needed the time off. Gibbs surmised that Kaitlin needed her daddy too. She had looked very uncertain in that interrogation room that morning and judging by how many unfamiliar faces she had been with in the last two days… it was probably a good idea that Tony stayed home with her to settle her back in.

"Hey boss… is that cowboy steak I smell?" Tony asked, entering the living room and plopping a six-pack of beer down onto the coffee table.

"Wouldn't make it any other way," Gibbs said, reaching into the fire to pull out the steaks. He plopped them down onto a plate.

Tony placed Kaitlin down on the sofa and helped her out of her coat. He then gave her a plastic container of Cheerios. "Everything go okay with my father?"

Gibbs watched as the baby picked out some cereal and popped it into her mouth. "He's the FBI's problem now."

"Do you think the charges will stick?"

"Talked to the U.S Attorney myself… he's sure he can get your father to sign a deal."

Tony reached out and ran his fingers through Kaitlin's hair. "I want to hate him… but I can't. He's my father."

Gibbs cut the steak in half and placed one on Tony's plate. "No one is asking that you hate him, Tony."

Kaitlin crawled into her father's lap and situated herself there, resting her container of Cheerios on her own lap. She looked up at her father with a smile and held out an offering of cereal to him. "Da? O?"

"How long did the attorney say my father was going to jail?" Tony asked, taking his daughter's offering.

"Does it matter?" Gibbs asked, honestly.

"It does to me boss. I did some background on Segan… he's a bully. Who knows how many people like my dad have been threatened by him," Tony replied. "I'm not saying that my father shouldn't be punished but… he shouldn't get the full sentence."

Gibbs sighed and leaned back on the sofa. He popped open a beer. "Attorney gave him a deal of fifteen years, possibility of parole if he behaves _and _if he testifies against Segan."

Tony looked down at Kaitlin. "Segan was found?"

"He tried to get on a flight out of the country."

"FBI has him in custody?"

"They do."

"Did he… did he leave her in the bag?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No. He claims he left her with the couple that paid for her. FBI found an address on a label in the bag. Looks like they panicked and abandoned her. NYPD arrested them in upstate New York this afternoon."

Tony felt his muscles relax. It was done. All the people that had tried to hurt his baby were going to jail—his father included. He kissed the baby on top of her soft head of hair. "Some would say fifteen years isn't enough for my dad."

"What do you say?"

"No matter how long he goes to jail… he's out of Kaitlin's life."

"Your restraining order."

"Yes. I have to protect my daughter, Gibbs. And I just… I can't trust my dad."

Gibbs watched the little girl for a moment, while she eat her cereal, and reached over to stroke the baby's hair. "Listen, Tony… I told you once and I'll tell you again… she isn't going to need your dad."

Tony grinned. "Yeah… she already has a decent grandpa. One who is fiercely protective of her."

"She's family, Tony."

"And you do what you have to for family."

Gibbs smiled and toasted to that. They could all rest a little bit easier tonight now that Kaitlin was home, was safe, and was back with the family that she truly belonged too.

* * *

><p><em>Yes, I realize I probably let Senior off a little too easy. Please go gentle on me lol<em>


	52. Far Away

**Warnings: **Spoilers for "Jet Lag".

**A/N: **I apologize that this has taken so long. Just a little filler chapter. Originally I planned to have this as one massive fic but I'm thinking of breaking it up a bit. Just for reader ease. Please let me know what you think and enjoy! Thanks forestalling with me this long!

* * *

><p>Kaitlin was not happy when she lost sight of her daddy.<p>

Tony didn't blame her. After all she had been taken away from him, shuffled from bus to bus, handed to a strange couple… only to be shoved in a bag and found by another strange couple… to then be taken care of by strange doctors and nurses. But if she was going to cry every time Tony left the living room it was going to be a long three days. "Katie… I'm just going into the kitchen to get lunch," he promised her, picking her up and standing her in the hall so she could see him.

"Look!" He said, happily as he turned to wave at her, "I'm right here! I didn't go anywhere!"

As he turned his back on her to pull out some leftovers to warm up, Kaitlin wailed, breaking his heart. Tony sighed and closed his eyes. He turned back towards her to smile and found her standing closer to him in the middle of the hall way. "Did you… did you just walk there?"

Kaitlin held her hands out to him, large tears rolling down her cheeks. When he didn't budge she took three wobbly steps forward. Tony couldn't stop the bright smile that covered his face. He knelt down on the floor and opened his arms to her… sure enough she took the last few steps there and stumbled into his arms.

"You did it! You took your first steps!" Tony told her proudly. He gave her a big kiss as she nuzzled his shoulder. "I think this calls for a lunch out!"

"Izza?"

"Yes. We can get pizza!"

Kaitlin smiled at him, she cuddled against Tony as he lifted her off the kitchen floor and went to grab both their coats. He was going to take her out to get pizza, ice cream… anything to erase the horrible memories of the last few days. They both needed it and he had the time off. He knew that wasn't going to last very long. Sooner or later Gibbs was going to need him.

Tony grabbed his keys and headed out to the car. Quickly he got the baby into her car seat and with a little kiss on her each of her cheeks, cherishing the little giggles that emanated from her. It made him not want to take his eyes off of her ever again.

* * *

><p>Gibbs wasn't planning on requesting that Tony come back to work, not after everything that had transpired while Senior had been in town—but it turned out the world had other plans.<p>

Tony took it in stride, or at least he appeared to take it in stride, even if he had to be away from Kaitlin overnight in Paris.

Kaitlin on the other hand was _not _happy and she made her feelings known to Gibbs at every chance she got. He didn't blame her, after all her father had just gotten her separation anxiety under control and then she was abducted. But he needed Tony's experience on this one and he promised her it really was going to be only one night.

"Listen," he told the fussy infant as he tried to get her to sleep that night, "I'm not entirely happy about this situation either. Do you think I wanted to take Daddy away from you now? Of course I didn't. Please, just go to sleep. Daddy will be back before you know it."

"I warned you that this wasn't going to go well," Abby said, sadly. "She hates it when Tony is away."

Gibbs sighed and rubbed Kaitlin's back. Fussy babies really were not his forte, that had been Shannon. But this little fussy baby was breaking his heart because he had done this. So he paced her room trying to soothe her and get her to fall asleep, there really was nothing else he could do.

Abby stood in the door and watched him. "Maybe if you sang?"

He glared at her slightly. "I don't sing, Abs."

"Maybe if we called Tony..."

"Tony's still in the air."

Abby pouted. "What do we do? She's miserable."

Gibbs carried the baby to the rocking chair and sat down. He found one of Kaitlin's favorite books. Maybe if he read to her it would calm her down.

Kaitlin whimpered and wiped her eyes. She snuggled into Gibbs lap still not really happy that her father was MIA. "Ibs."

"Yes, I'm going to read to you."

"Da?"

"No, Daddy isn't here."

Kaitlin cried and flopped in his lap. Even as Gibbs read her the book using as much inflection as he could to distract her from her obvious discomfort. Gibbs was never so happy to hear the phone ring, knowing that it was Tony calling.

Abby shoved the phone at the baby and she froze hearing Tony's voice. A tiny smile came across her face. But it only lasted while she was on the phone with her daddy, once Tony had hung up she was back to fussing.

Gibbs rocked her and settled in for a long night.

* * *

><p>Tony had done his best to enjoy Paris but he kept thinking about his baby back home and how miserable she had been when he had left her with Gibbs. He'd thought that the boss was going to be the best choice to care for Kaitlin this time because she did trust the former marine, however it was still too soon after her trauma to leave her. Kaitlin had sobbed when he left and he was sure she didn't stop until she fell asleep.<p>

He had called when he landed at Charles De Gaulle airport. Despite talking to her over the phone the text message that he got from Abby afterwards suggested that it had not helped.

Erin must have felt bad for him so she let him have the bed in their hotel room. Tony wasn't going to argue. It was one night and he'd been through hell the last couple of weeks and he was going to have a very cranky baby when he got home. And to add insult to injury their witness was Little Miss Sunshine.

"You're much too happy for someone that's wanted dead," Tony told her once they had settled on the plane.

"There's plenty of negativity in the world," Norah replied with a smile. "I'm just doing my best to counter that."

"Sorry if I don't share your rosy outlook on life," Tony said as he buckled his belt.

Norah chuckled."I don't expect everyone too, Agent DiNozzo."

Erin grinned, a little wickedly. "He's just upset that he had to leave Kaitlin behind."

"Kaitlin?"

"My daughter and I'll have you know she is just as upset that I left her."

"She's a baby. She should be."

Tony threw his partner a look. Why was she teasing him like this? Was she trying to get his mind off the baby because if so it wasn't working. Erin now smiled at him sweetly and he frowned. "I almost lost her, ok? So yes, I'm a little attached to her right now."

Erin sighed and shook her head. "Tony she's safe now and with Gibbs of all people. I don't think she's going to be taken ever again. There's no way you and Gibbs would allow that."

Norah pat his knee and opened a magazine. "Not everyone is out to get you."

"Thank you. I've been saying that for the last two days. He won't listen to me."

"I can certainly protect her like everyone is."

"Tony, you can't protect her from everything," Norah said, "that's impossible."

"Maybe I'll just lock her away in a tower like Rapunzel," Tony snapped.

"Do you want your daughter to hate you for the rest of your life?"

"No! Of course not!"

Norah pat his knee again and went back to reading her magazine. Her sunny disposition was really starting to get on his nerves. Or maybe that was the lack of sleep. Either way he was looking at a long transatlantic flight with her and if he wanted to do his job at keeping Norah safe he had to put up with her personality. Besides it wasn't like anyone was going to try to kill her on the plane.


	53. Murder In the Skies

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Jet Lag".

**A/N:** Hello everyone! This is a shorter chapter but it made sense ending it where I did. Hope you enjoy!

**Guest-** _Always happy to hear from Tiva shippers that like my story. I could never picture them together romantically, but I don't go around telling people who do that it's wrong or bully them like some others. And I'm with you, if the story is well written, I can look past things that I might not like in the show. There are some really good Tiva stories that I've read set before Season 6 that I liked. I'll admit that I shipped them until Shane Brennan took over as producer. If he had kept up what was established in Season 5, instead of giving us that awful season 6 ending with Ziva basically accusing Tony of murder and assaulting him, I probably would have been okay with it. But that's my opinion and I don't expect everyone to share it. And honestly, no matter who you ship, who doesn't love Tony as a daddy? ;)  
><em>

* * *

><p>He shifted in his seat and glanced at Erin's empty chair. She had gotten up to go use the bathroom, leaving her book behind. Tony was very surprised to learn that his partner liked to read thriller novels. Didn't they get enough thrills on the job? Yeah, Tony thought, we get plenty of thrills on the job. But much like movies were his escape it appeared that books were Erin's.<p>

It had been quiet on their flight so far. Tony was confident at this point now that they were in the air for three hours that they were going to be okay.

"Is it hard, balancing your job and your daughter?" Norah asked, sleepily.

"Certainly a delicate balance," Tony replied. "Why do you ask?"

"My fiancée and I want to have kids someday. But I worry I won't be able to balance both a career and kids," Norah replied.

Tony stretched and shook his head. She sounded like Amanda the only difference was that Norah wasn't pregnant and she wanted kids someday. "You learn to manage. It's not at easy at times. And I wouldn't say I'm that good at it."

Norah straightened in her seat. "Why not?"

"For one thing, I'm away from her far too much."

"It sounded like she misses you."

"She doesn't do well when I'm away. Breaks my heart each time."

Norah pulled the blanket she was using up and around her shoulders. "I think you are being too hard on yourself. Obviously your daughter loves you and misses you when you aren't there. And you hate to be away from her. That's not a sign of a horrible parent to me.

Tony smiled, slightly. "You barely know me. How do you know if I would make a good father?"

"I try to believe in the best of people."

"Ok, Pollyanna."

"Tony," Erin caught his attention. "We have a problem."

He immediately could sense the mood change. "What's going on?"

She looked over her shoulder back towards the restroom. "The U.S. Marshal is dead. He was murdered."

"What?"

"I noticed he wasn't in his seat and realized he went to the bathroom a long time ago."

Tony felt the urge to jump from his seat and start questioning everyone on this plane right then and there, but he held back. It wasn't going to get them anywhere. Frowning, he got up from his seat and instructed Erin to sit with Norah. He grabbed Erin's laptop and sneakily stepped into the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Before he got to work he paused, looking at the knitting needle sticking out of the guy's neck. It was going to be a long two hours left in their flight. Especially now that the had a killer on the loose and one that had the Marshall's gun.

_Okay, Tony, _he told himself as he tried to connect with Ducky via video chat. _You can solve this. You have to solve this or Norah, Erin, and yourself could end up dead and let's face it... that just isn't an option. _Tony steadied himself as Ducky answered and buckled down to his job. NCIS had another killer to stop.

* * *

><p>Kaitlin would not go to sleep the night before unless Gibbs was holding her. So, while she had slept comfortably in the team leaders arms, Gibbs had slept uncomfortably in her rocking chair.<p>

When he woke up and found the baby looking at him, he frowned,"Do you think you'll be a little bit more cooperative today?"

She smiled a little but then fussed—giving Gibbs his answer. The team leader sighed and got her ready for daycare. He knew this was going to go over like a ton of bricks when he dropped her off but he had to get to work to figure out who had put the hit out on their witness. Gibbs had a guesses but so far they hadn't been able to get any concrete evidence to nail the person. And Kaitlin's terrible separation anxiety from her father was not helping Gibbs in any sense. He'd brought it on himself when he sent Tony with Erin, he knew it was coming and he just had to take it in stride. Kaitlin was too little to understand his reasonings.

"Boss?" McGee called from downstairs.

"Up here!" Gibbs called back.

Kaitlin's eyes turned towards the sound of someone entering her bedroom. She didn't look happy to see Uncle Tim because she definitely looking for Daddy.

McGee cocked an eyebrow. "Wow. Abby was right. She's extra cranky."

Gibbs silently agreed and lifted the baby off the changing table. "Why are you here McGee? I'll be in the office once I get Kaitlin settled at daycare."

"Tony called. The U.S Marshall is dead."

"How?"

"Knitting needle through his neck in the bathroom."

"Norah?"

"Tony says she isn't leaving their sight."

Gibbs sighed and looked at Kaitlin. She frowned at him. "Come on," he said to her. "You can come with us. Daycare was going to be a nightmare anyways."

* * *

><p>Tony could sense that optimistic Norah was now getting worried. They still had an hour to go before landing and no clue who had murdered the U.S Marshall.<p>

Erin had hooked her laptop up to the on-board WiFi and was doing a background check on every single passenger. It was starting to take too much time. But they didn't have very many options. They'd needed to find their killer before the plane landed, and they needed to make sure that the killer didn't get to Norah.

He calmed his nerves by looking at pictures of Kaitlin on his phone. As Erin worked furiously on her computer, Tony kept the look out. He wasn't sure what or who he was looking out for yet, hopefully Erin's searches would yield something before all hell broke loose.

By the time the flight attendants were making their final pass, Tony was beginning to get worried that Erin wasn't going to find anything. The blonde that had been giving him evil looks since he sat down offered both him and Norah a pillow. His witness was about to accept one but he stopped her. When the attendant walked away he explained, "We just don't know if the killer has laced them with anything, okay?"

"Fine. We're landing soon anyways," Norah replied. "I can hopefully get a clean pillow at my fiancée's apartment."

"Oh no. You're going to a safe house until we figure this out."

"Safe house? I don't think I'll be in any danger at Daniel's."

Tony informed her that she didn't have much a choice, because quite frankly they didn't know if Daniel was involved or not. Immediately when he said it, he regretted it because Norah turned on him and glared. "Sorry... we just don't know who put the hit out on you... it's always a possibility that it was Daniel."

Norah shook her head. "No. He wouldn't do that. He loves me."

"You'd be surprised what some people do to the ones they love."

"Not Daniel. He's a good man."

Erin cleared her throat to get Tony's attention. "Tony. I… I got something."

Tony looked at her, relieved and intrigued all at the same time. "You did?"

"Yeah. You, um, you might want to call Gibbs."

* * *

><p>Jimmy did his best to entertain the baby. Kaitlin was having no part of it. "When does Tony get back?"<p>

Abby glanced up from her work. "Thirty minutes. But if we didn't find out who Norah's fiancée was paying to kill her—we might not be getting him back."

"How does a hit man get on a plane?" Jimmy asked, picking Kaitlin up off the floor.

"Probably used an alias."

"Great. It could take hours to figure this out."

"No! I got something!" Abby shouted, joyfully. She reached for her cell just as it rang and Gibbs number popped up on the screen. "Gibbs! I was just going to call you! I found out who was hired to kill Norah!"

Gibbs let out a painful breath. "Yeah. She's posing as a flight attendant right now. Don't worry we've already called Tony."

Abby looked at Jimmy and the baby. "You sound like you're in pain, Gibbs. What happened?"

"Nothing. Just send a car to pick DiNozzo up from the airport."

With that he hung up, leaving Abby wondering what the heck was going on. Kaitlin whined and Jimmy suggested perhaps the baby should go to the airport with the car and agents. Abby frowned. "I doubt they're going to want to listen to her fuss."

Jimmy glanced at Kaitlin. "Yeah. But Tony's got to be missing her, too."

Abby didn't respond. Tony had bigger problems on that plane right now.


	54. Bumpy Landing

**Warnings:** Spoilers for "Jet Lag".

**A/N:** I can't remember in this episode if Tony and Ziva had their weapons on the plane. I'm assuming because they were escorting a witness they did, and had the papers authorizing them to carry their guns. It would seem like a terrible screw up on the writers part to have a pair of federal agents on a protection detail not carrying their guns. Also heard the news that Marisol Nichols is returning, super excited about that btw, because I really, really liked Zoe. So, this brings me to what I want to talk about... creating OC's can be daunting and a little draining... I'm not sure I'm up for creating ANOTHER OFC for Tony... so I was thinking of pairing Tony with Zoe in later installments. I really liked her character. I liked that she forgave Tony for just disappearing on her and that she was willing to listen to him, possibly vent off-screen about how hurt he was about Ziva. Of all the women that the show has thought about, hinted at pairing Tony with... she's the first one that I really liked. (Except Kate, I might have been okay with that if Sasha hadn't left). Ok, enough ramblings... enjoy the update! Thoughts on my ramblings are always appreciated too lol.

**Dis- **_Thank you!_

**amaia-** _Katie hates being away from her daddy :(_

* * *

><p>Tony felt the familiar comfort of his gun against his hip. They were landing in just fifteen minutes and already he could see the Spock look alike of a flight attendant glaring at him as he rose from his seat. But, Tony didn't care. Someone on this plane was out to kill Norah, had killed the U.S Marshall and would kill Tony and Erin if she got the chance.<p>

Peeking in the galley he found Tiffany Chase putting away from trays. She looked innocent enough. Which was probably the whole reason that Tony hadn't suspected her to begin with. In the drawer that she opened he could see a weapon peeking out. "Talk about snakes on a plane," Tony drawled, startling her. "You almost had me for a moment, Tiffany."

He was ready for her attack and ducked the tray that came flying at him, thus absorbing her hit. Grasping her arms in a tight hold, Tony spun her about and thrust her against the wall, reaching for his cuffs. "You're under arrest, for the murder of a United States federal agent and if I could arrest you for pissing me off, and not giving me my hot towel I would."

"Screw you," Tiffany sneered.

"Sorry... not my type. I don't date assassins," Tony snapped back, dragging her to the empty chair next to him. He dropped her roughly there.

Erin and Norah watched as Tiffany was tossed in the chair. Norah looked relieved that this was over.

Tony was relieved too, it meant that he could go home and spend time with Kaitlin. And in about ten minutes or so they would be on the ground, escorted off the plane first because they were a protection detail and now had a suspect in custody. "Ladies," he said, grinning, "Let's go home."

Norah chuckled. "At least I'll finally be able to get to see my Daniel."

"Oh yeah..." Tony started to say but saw Erin's eyes go wide and she shook her head. Yeah... maybe Tony shouldn't be the one to tell her. He'd leave that up to the U.S attorney dealing with this case. "Well... I'll finally be able to see my Katie... so everything's good... kind of... because someone still wanted you dead."

"Tony," Erin warned him. "Quit while you're a head, please."

He agreed with her and buckled his seatbelt and instead of focusing on how they were going to inform Norah that it was her Daniel that had wanted her dead... he focused on finally getting to see his daughter and immediately that made him feel better.

* * *

><p>Kaitlin greeted Tony and Erin when they stepped off the elevator. She smiled, mischievously at them and Tony was sure that she had been plotting her escape from who ever was caring for her at the moment.<p>

"Hey troublemaker," he said, scooping her off the floor. "Are you trying to sneak away from Grandpa?"

"Oh... jeez... sorry Tony!" Jimmy sputtered running around the cubicle wall. "I... I turned my back for a second! Gosh she's fast!"

"It's okay, Jimmy," Tony said, kissing his baby's cheeks. "She can't reach the buttons... yet."

Kaitlin gurgled and grinned, happy to be with her daddy. He took her to his desk and stood her on top of it. "I got something for you, peanut," he said, pulling a little french beret out of his bag. He placed the red cap over her head. "Aw... you look like a little french porcelain doll."

Erin laughed softly, dropping her tired form into her chair. It had been a long two days but thankfully everything had worked out. Well... at least for NCIS... not so much for Norah because it was her lover that had hired the hit man. And when they had finally worked up the courage to tell her that, it had not been a very pretty sight. Certainly, Norah's rosy colored world had been tainted forever now. Erin felt bad for her but it was out of their hands now. "Thought you didn't enjoy Paris?" she finally asked Tony.

"Oh," Tony quipped, looking up to see McGee stumble into the bullpen. "I did. I would have enjoyed it more if Katie had been with me."

"Maybe someday you can take her," Erin supplied. "She seems like a classic, renaissance girl."

"Yeah... she does prefer black and white films."

Kaitlin asked to be held again by thrusting her hands out at Tony. He gently picked her up and hugged her, feeling her little head rest on his shoulder. Running his hand up and down her back, soothing her to a peaceful little nap, Tony noticed Gibbs for the first time. He was shocked by a couple of things, one being that the lead agent looked exhausted... Kaitlin must have given him a harder time than he was letting on... and two, his arm was in a sling. "Boss?"

Gibbs looked up, noticed that Tony was looking at the sling and shrugged. "I was hit by a car."

"What?" Tony and Erin gasped at the same time.

"Well it was either me or Tim," Gibbs responded.

"Yeah... sorry about that, boss," McGee mumbled. "Promise, I'll make it up to you."

Tony chuckled. "You're going to be schlepping for Gibbs for weeks."

Gibbs threw a glare at his senior field agent. "Keep it up, Tony and you'll be doing it." He waved his hand at the three agents. "Go on, get out of here! You all did good work and deserve some time off!" For a moment the team stood there, silent, and then Gibbs barked at them again, reminding them that he could change his mind if he wanted. That propelled them into action and as they all left, the team leader allowed himself a small smile, gathered up his things and left as well. After spending those two days with a cranky Kaitlin, Gibbs needed the rest too, because it turned out that Tony's daughter wore him out at times just as much as Tony did.

* * *

><p>Steve Adler was surprised when Tony showed up at his office with the baby. "Everything alright? Your father didn't break that restraining order already did he?"<p>

Tony shook his head. "No. My father is in jail. And not coming out for a long time."

"Oh. So... why are you here?"

"Do you mind if I use the beach house?"

Steve blinked. "It's almost February."

Tony smiled and chuckled. "Yeah I know. Just wanted to make Kaitlin's first birthday special."

"Guess she's had a few rough weeks," Steve said, grinning at the baby. She smiled at him, boy did she look like Tony. "So... I don't see why you can't use the beach house. Meg and I will be away on Valentine's Day for our last romantic weekend before we get married. It's all yours... just don't go too crazy. I know what kind of parties you can throw."

"Steve, it's a birthday party for a one year old," Tony shot back. "How crazy do you think it's going to get?"

His old friend chuckled. "You'd be surprised how many cases I've worked where children's birthday parties have gotten out of control because of drunk family members."

Tony huffed and looked at Kaitlin. "Well, that's not going to happen because none of my drunk family members are going to be there. In fact, the only one that would have bothered to come... maybe... would have been my dad and he's in jail."

Steve opened his drawer and fished out his keys. He plucked the one for the beach house off the chain and grinned. "Have fun. But I have to warn ya, the water this time of year... it's rather chilly."


	55. Wouldn't Change a Thing

**Warnings: **Fluff, plain and simple. Minor spoilers for season seven.

**A/N:** Last chapter, but don't worry! Tony and Kaitlin will be back, promise! It just felt natural to stop here and start a new story beginning with the Reynosa arc. Not sure when the first chapter of that will be up, but I'm hoping before the holidays... maybe even this week if I have the time. Until then... enjoy!

**Guest-** _Thank you so much! You are very kind and I'm happy you like my story, and don't worry I have no plans to stop writing :)_

**kbor- **_I love daddy Tony! And yes he's always thinking about the best for his baby girl!_

**I just want to thank everyone that has supported me throughout this whole story. I'm looking forward to all you have to say in the sequel! **

* * *

><p>In the weeks that followed Tiffany Chase's arrest the team had to deal with dirty bombs, hijackers, and grand theft. Just another day at the office, Tony thought, exhausted when he returned from the undercover mission with Damon Werth.<p>

Tony had been uncomfortable working with the former marine. He had after all broken the senior field agent's nose but after listening to Erin who had to deal with McGee on a caffeine high... Tony felt like he got the better deal. By the time they made it back to NCIS Tim had passed out in the back seat and Tony had driven both Tim and the boss home.

Now, he finally unlocked the backdoor of his own home and stepped inside. He could smell the remains of Jane's cooking and Abby's gun powder perfume. He should really look into getting a live-in nanny. It would make life easier on everyone he realized as he found Abby fast asleep in the guest room. Tony knew that it wasn't fair to ask Abby or Jimmy to stay with Kaitlin all the time and since her mother had no desire to come back... well... he really needed to think of other options. Jane was wonderful but she could only devote so much of her time to the baby.

He took a deep breath and went to check on his daughter. Kaitlin was curled up on her side, Gwens tucked next to her. Tony chuckled silently at how much that little girl loved that stuffed penguin. He reached into the crib and kissed her cheek. She barely stirred. "Been a crazy couple of weeks, eh baby?"

One, little hazel eye opened and peered up at him. She smiled. "Da..."

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Tony said, leaning down and lifting her out of the crib. He kissed her cheek and went to the rocking chair. "Just think... you're going to be one year old in just a few days!"

Kaitlin grinned and held a hand out to her father. Tony gave her a finger and the little girl latched on. "Some people might not think my life is ideal... but you are the best thing that's ever happened to me, Katie. It's not easy being a daddy... but I love it. I love being your daddy, peanut." He watched as she started to fall back to sleep. "I think we're going to make even better memories in this next year, you'll see baby."

Tony stood up and gently carried her back to the crib and laid her down. "I love you, Kaitlin," he whispered, kissing her cheek. "Please don't ever forget that."

* * *

><p>"Happy Birthday, Katie bear," Tony greeted her after her nap on the day of her birthday party.<p>

Kaitlin smiled from the portable crib in the master bedroom of Steve and Meg's beach house. She pulled herself up into a standing position and held her hands up to her father. Tony lifted her out and kissed her on each cheek. "Is my pretty little Valentine ready for her party?"

Tony laughed as she babbled some response while he changed her and brushed her hair, dressing her in a sweet pink dress and white tights. He put a pink bow in her hair and carried her down to the living room.

"Well there's the birthday girl," Ducky said, smiling. He gestured for Tony to hand her over and he began to delight the child with a story of when he had been a boy and what his mother had done for his birthdays.

"You're going to love your cake, Katie," Abby said, tickling her toes. "It's a pink penguin!"

"Gwens?" Kaitlin asked, looking for her stuffed penguin.

It was placed in her lap courtesy of her father and she delighted everyone with a giggle. She hugged the plush toy to her and began babbling away to it as if she was holding a conversation with the stuffed animal.

Tony loved watching her entertain herself. He grinned at her, running his fingers through her hair. A year ago he had been agonizing over this sweet little girl and if he was going to be able to give her a decent childhood... if he was going to be a decent father. There had been some bumps along the way, of course, but he learned that was all a part of fatherhood.

Abby shifted on the sofa and reached for a present, handing it to the slightly confused baby. "Go on, Katie! Open it! Here... I'll help you!"

"Da?" Kaitlin inquired, looking questionably at Tony.

"Go on! It's for you!" Tony exclaimed, smiling. He started to tear the paper to encourage her. "Oh! Look! I think I see Elmo!"

"Momo!" Kaitlin squealed when she saw her favorite _Sesame Street_ character.

Tony chuckled when she was upset when the toy was taken away and a new wrapped package was placed in front of her. She wanted to play and she wasn't so keen on this gift giving thing yet. Kaitlin would fuss when each gift was taken from her and added to a pile. When she was done opening the presents it was decided she should get a few moments to play with her new toys.

Gibbs pat him on the shoulder and offered to help Tony get lunch ready. "Don't think Kaitlin is going to be interested in cake just yet."

He laughed and looked at his daughter engrossed with her new toys. "Yeah... might be a good time to get the sandwiches out. Don't want to upset her on her birthday."

"Probably a wise decision, Tony," the team leader said, leading the way into the kitchen.

"She seems to like her gifts," the senior field agent observed.

"She would have been happy with just getting to spend time with you."

"I've been away too much, boss, in just her first year of life."

Gibbs frowned, slightly. "Doesn't mean she doesn't love you less."

Tony took the sandwich platter out of the fridge. "I know, boss," he whispered, closing the fridge door. He put the platter on the counter. "But I hate being away from her."

His boss frowned even more. "And I've got to be better at keeping you here, Tony. I shouldn't always be sending you." Gibbs reached out and grasped his second in command's shoulder. "You've trained McGee and Erin well, Tony... there's no reason one of them couldn't travel if need be."

Slowly a grin spread across Tony's face. "Yeah, but if I don't go out to sea...who will? We both know that Tim doesn't have sea legs."

"DiNozzo..."

"Sorry, boss... couldn't help it."

Kaitlin's little feet could be heard waddling across the kitchen floor. Tony looked down to see his daughter, torn wrapping paper in her hand.

Tony shook his head and smiled. "I see you're bored with your toys already."

Gibbs picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Don't listen to him... playing with boxes and wrapping paper are all a part of childhood. You should enjoy it while it lasts."

She smiled at him and held some of the paper out to him. Tony watched as Gibbs took her back into the living room, playing with her as he went. Smiling himself, Tony gathered up the platter of sandwiches and brought them out to his guests. It was nice to get away for a while and Kaitlin was certainly enjoying the attention... even if she was confused why everyone was singing to her.

But she like her cake, to the delight of everyone else watching as she covered herself in it. As Tony was cleaning her up with Abby's help, the scientist looked over and grinned, "You did a great job with her party, Tony."

"I did?"

"Yeah. When she looks at all the pictures you're going to have so many stories to tell her."

Tony smiled at his daughter. This day had been everything he wanted for her... their family celebrating her first birthday and making memories that he could later look back at fondly.

* * *

><p>By the end of the day both Tony and Kaitlin were exhausted. Tony sat propped up against the headboard in the master bedroom, the baby snuggled at his side with her new stuffed Elmo from Uncle Tim and chewing on a pacifier. Tony was gently running his fingers along her back and flipping through the photographs taken that day. His favorite one was Kaitlin sitting in her high chair, face covered in pink frosting and chocolate cake, grinning.<p>

Despite some rough patches, she truly was happy. Tony kissed the top of her head and she slid down a little bit. Resting her head against his stomach she started to drift off to sleep.

"We've got it pretty good don't we baby?" He whispered to her. He saw her smile under her pacifier. "It might not be the perfect life... who really has that... but I think we're pretty close to perfect."

Kaitlin scooted her little body and climbed up onto her father's chest. Tony put the camera on the nightstand and wrapped his baby in his arms. She fell asleep sprawled out on his chest like she used to when she was a newborn.

Tony smiled and put on a movie. He didn't want to put the baby in her crib just yet because he knew that moments like this wouldn't last forever. For now he was happy to just get the time with her and soak up as much of it as he could. The last year had been wonderful, if difficult at times, but this baby had changed him... she had given him confidence that he had been lacking for years, not to mention unconditional love.

And as Kaitlin slept cuddled against him, Tony wouldn't change this last year for anything in the world.


End file.
